


Dead Of Summer

by WanderingShaman



Series: Dead of Summer [1]
Category: Sally Face (Video Games)
Genre: Abuse, Alternate Universe - Summer Camp, Character Death, Child Abuse, Coming of Age, Demon Summoning, Drugs, F/F, F/M, Homophobia, Homophobic Language, Internalized Homophobia, M/M, Possession, Self-Harm, Summer Camp, Underage Drinking, let's sing campfire songs and summon satan
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-01
Updated: 2020-09-05
Packaged: 2020-11-09 09:29:53
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 24,326
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20851199
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WanderingShaman/pseuds/WanderingShaman
Summary: Sal doesn't want to go to summer camp, plain and simple. Henry isn't going to let him skip it though. This is the perfect opportunity for him to make friends and bond with their new neighbors before the start of his senior year. Larry is stoked for camp, or he would be if he hadn't grown even taller and knows he won't fit in those tiny beds. The new kid seems cool though, so that's a plus. Todd can't wait to try out the gadgets he's smuggling into camp. He's determined to make this the summer they uncover the secrets of Nockfell. And Travis, he's just glad he has a chance to escape.This summer camp was supposed to be a chance for all of them to get away, have a summer fling, and just let loose. Too bad memories seem to be catching up to them and a malicious cult is plotting in secret.This is a cross over with the TV show Dead of Summer. You do not need to have ANY knowledge of the show in order to read this story.





	1. Getaway

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone!! I have been toiling away at this story for MONTHS and I am so excited to finally be bringing you Dead of Summer. This story is my baby. I was rewatching the TV show DoS and it really inspired me since it also takes place in the 90s. So I combined the story telling elements and general idea of the show with the characters of Sally Face and bam, now I have this AU. This takes place before their senior year so they're a little older and things have gone a little differently in their lives since Sal didn't move in before their freshman year.
> 
> I hope you all enjoy!!

“I don’t wanna go to this camp,” Sal mutters as he sits at the table eating dinner. It’s two days before the start of said camp and Henry has just sprung it on him that he’s been signed up. I has something to do with Sal making some friends before he starts at his new school. “I’m gonna be the only new kid. And what if something happens and I can’t reach you or the phone lines cut out or there’s a mass murderer on the loose? What then?”

“If there’s a mass murderer on the loose you know you’ll be the first in line to hunt them down,” Henry responds with a very pointed look.

“Touche,” Sal nods, knowing his father is at least right about that. “My point still stands though. The phone lines could cut out and then I wouldn’t be able to reach you. Or I could forget something important and get an infection. Summer camps aren’t exactly known for being clean.”

Sal absolutely knows he’s being a pain, but he really doesn’t want to go to summer camp. He’s perfectly content to be the friendless weirdo in the building, already having turned down his father’s request to introduce himself to the neighbors. He has one more year of high school and somehow it just feels better to stay a loner. He’s tried the whole friends thing and it’s really left one Hell of a bad taste in his mouth. Some might even say he’s jaded from it all.

Henry lets out a deep sigh, already seeming tired of the argument he knows he’s in for. “I’ve talked to the counselors already. They assured me that you would have access to the nurses’ cabin whenever you need it to take care of hygiene needs. Plus I’ll help you pack all your medications and supplies. Between the two of us we won’t forget anything. And it’ll be good for you Sal. I know it’s hard moving to a new town and this will give you an opportunity to make some friends and bond with people before starting school.”

“What if it’s like Jersey?”

Silence rings between them, both men remembering the events that brought them to Nockfell in the first place. Sal absentmindedly rubs the scar on his wrist that acted as the catalyst for it all and Henry looks for a moment like he might cry. Both of them dwell heavily on the memory until Henry dares to look up and lock eyes with his son. “It’s not going to be like that.” He sounds so resolute, but also fiercely protective.

Sal pushes the food around on his plate for a moment longer. “Okay Dad. You’re right. It’s not gonna be like Jersey.” Then he looks up and offers a small smile. It’s gnarled and ugly, but it makes Henry smile back in return.

The man has really turned things around in the months leading up to the move. It would have been so easy for him to continue being an absentee parent and for Sal to keep pretending that everything was okay when the kids seemed to get more cruel by the day. It hurt but it was routine. It was something he knew. But instead, Henry intervened and made changes, and the blue haired boy has to admit, it’s been great. It makes him feel like he really has a family again. And even in this new and unfamiliar territory, he at least knows he has one person on his side. That definitely counts for something.

“This will be good for you buddy,” Henry says. “The man running the camp is an old friend of mine. He told me all about the camp and some of the kids who have been going for years. And the woman working as the camp counselor is someone I met through him. She’s wonderful and she’ll make sure nothing happens to you.”

“How many kids are accepted?”

“There are around 15 kids total doing the camp,” Henry explains. “This is the 15-18 camp but some of the kids have been going since they were 8. If they keep going back then it must be worth it.”

“Or it just means there’s nothing else to do in this tiny town,” Sal points out. He takes another bite of food and chomps down on it while his father gives him a playful glare. Sal uses his fork to point as he continues, “You have to admit there isn’t much here.”

“Fine fine,” Henry laughs. “But I really have heard nothing but good things about this camp. And I, unlike you, talked to some of the neighbors.” Another pointed look. “Some of our new neighbors here at the apartments are going. So maybe you can still meet them before you leave.” It’s more than just a suggestion, but both of them know Sal isn’t going to take his advice.

“Or I could just meet them when I get there and play awkward introduction games,” Sal suggests.

Henry lets out a loud sigh. “I’m not going to force you to talk to the other kids, but at least think about it. There are good kids here Sal. It’s not going to be like Jersey.”

“Ok Dad. I’ll think about it.”

He still has no intention of going around the building before camp, but at least his response seems to placate his father. Despite all the assurances in the world, it still makes him nervous to go away to a month long summer camp with 15 strangers who all probably grew up together. He’s going to be the weird outcast with the mask. The other kids will taunt him and the most he feels he can hope for is that it won’t be as bad as Jersey.

The rest of dinner passes quietly and then Sal heads to his room to continue packing. Whether he wants to or not, he’s going to this camp and he might as well make sure he has everything he needs. He pries open some boxes and starts rooting around to see if he can find any suitable shirts. With some remorse, he puts down his favorite one. Somehow he thinks wearing a shirt that says “I’d fuck me” might not give the best first impression. Though anyone who likes that shirt is probably the kind of friend he actually wants. So he tucks the shirt into the bottom of his bag just in case. Then he laments the fact that all of his shirts are long sleeved and most of them are black, and this camp just so happens to be in the dead of summer.

***

_ Inhale. Hold. Exhale. _

The feeling of a high taking over soothes Larry as he lounges in his bed. He’s cracked the basement window open above him in the hopes of his Ma not noticing the rather strong smell. He suspects that she already knows about his bad habit, but she has yet to say anything so he’s not going to push. Instead, he just tries to be courteous and only smoke when she’s out on a call.

He glances over at his half packed bags laying by his bed. Camp starts tomorrow morning and he’s vaguely packed all his stuff up, or at least thrown everything in the general direction of his bag. He’ll stuff everything in tomorrow morning just like every other year. He would have done it tonight but then he made the executive decision to get high and enjoy his last night on a comfy bed instead. As much as he’s enjoyed the camp over the years, the cabins only seem to get less and less comfy with time. Last year in particular was rough because he’s now too tall to really fit anywhere so he has to contort himself into strange positions if he wants to actually be all the way on the bed.

“One month of freedom,” he mutters to himself. He’s been going to camp since he was a little kid and some of his fondest memories are from that time. His first year was when he met Todd and the two of them became unlikely friends, only further solidifying things when the redhead moved into Addison Apartments. It helps that they both toke up together from time to time. That’s the truest bonding experience two bros can have. It also helps that his parents seem to have no problem selling to Larry. Why, he can’t even fathom to guess, but he’s grateful for the friends and family discount on his hobby. Otherwise there’s no way he would be able to afford it.

A year later he convinced Chug to join them at camp, and while the boy complains every year, he does seem to genuinely enjoy it. Camp is even the reason he met the supposed love of his life: Maple. Larry swears the two of them are going to get married someday. That is, if the guy can ever actually manage to confess to her. He keeps saying that this is the year he finally makes a move and that he isn’t going to let her slip away. It makes Larry a little jealous when he thinks of how perpetually single he is. He’s fooled around, a lot actually, but it’s rarely amounted to anything more than friends with benefits. In fact, that’s how Ash and him got close. They started by hooking up and then decided against pursuing anything and just stayed friends instead. His flings are mostly just nameless, faceless people. He enjoys the sex. There’s definitely no denying that, but after his first and only relationship went south, he can’t help but crave something more. He wants the dates and awkward family introductions and spending stupid amounts of time with someone. It’s all a pipe dream though and he knows it.

Larry takes another hit and contemplates how this summer will go. He’s eighteen. This will most likely be his last year unless he wants to be a counselor for the younger kids. He’s probably not going to do that though. This camp means freedom to him; he doesn’t want to upset any of those old memories by having to play the role of responsible adult.

He did hear an interesting rumor that a new kid will be there this summer and that said kid is even a resident of Addison Apartments. He doesn’t know much about the new kid, only having caught glimpses of blue pigtails and a strange mask. In fact, he doesn’t even know their gender. But this person is supposedly going with them to camp so maybe they will have a chance to bond. He just hopes the new kid isn’t a prick. This is his final summer and he wants to make the most of it. Besides, the camp already has Travis so they really don’t need another asshole there as well.

Just thinking about the blonde bully makes his blood boil. He doesn’t get why the guy still insists on being a dick to him and his friends. He thought that things would actually change as they grew up, but Travis has made it very clear that he has no intention of changing his ways. It’s annoying and has become the one downside of camp. He really doesn’t even get why Travis still goes; he’s always complaining about it and never seems to enjoy anything they do. Yet every year he’s there with the rest of them, ready to antagonize them for a full month. It’s a wonder Larry wasn’t kicked out for the amount of fist fights the two of them got into last year. He really hopes that this year that prick will just leave him and his friends alone.

One more hit helps calm him back down and he feels inspiration hit. So he drags himself off his bed and heads over to his canvas. There’s a distinct image in his mind of camp and he wants to get it down on paper before he goes. So he puts some Sanity’s Fall on and gets to work. He feels like a man possessed as he moves to bring his art to life. All shadows and dark colors and strange red eyes lurking in the background.

***

Todd scans his checklist one last time to ensure that he has everything packed and ready to go. He glances wistfully at his computer equipment, mourning the fact that he can’t take any of the devices with him. But there are strict rules at the camp, though this year he does plan on sneaking one thing in: walkie talkies. 

One of his personal projects this past year has been amplifying the old devices so they can be used outside of the apartments. The range on them wasn’t very good so he wanted to see if he could challenge himself to increase it. Plus, he’s had extra incentive since he and his friends have been making special plans for their final year of camp. They want to explore the woods more in depth than they have ever dared to before.

There have always been rumors about the forest surrounding Wendigo Lake and this year the group intends to see if any of those rumors actually have any truth to them. They are going to either confirm or debunk the mysteries surrounding Nockfell. But in order to do that, they need the walkie talkies to be able to communicate. If they can’t keep in touch with each other there’s no way of knowing if the others are safe and connecting the dots will be all the more difficult. So Todd has been working tirelessly on modifying the devices. There are four of them in total so hopefully all of the members of their group participate so they can pair off. Afterall, there’s safety in numbers. Going off alone is how people get injured, and he doesn’t intend for that to happen. This is important research, but not something he wants to risk his life for.

“Todd, are you almost packed?” his mother calls from the other side of the door.

“Just going through my checklist,” he calls back. He walks over to ensure one more time that the walkie talkies are all turned off and buried deep within his bag. He doesn’t want to accidentally get them confiscated before they even have a chance to use them.

“Just bring your bags out when you’re finished,” his mother says. Then he can hear the distinct shuffle of her slippers as she walks away. 

Todd can’t help smiling a bit as his excitement for this summer grows. This will be his last year at camp and he fully intends to take advantage of it. It doesn’t matter if they get in trouble or even get kicked out, their group of friends will stop at nothing to uncover the secrets of the area. Todd has been doing his research and knows that there is a lot of paranormal activity in the small town of Nockfell. In fact, there have been some ghost sightings here at Addison Apartments. One such spirit seems to inhabit his bathroom and on some nights he can hear the soft wails. The spirit is kind though and he wants to one day be able to communicate with him and maybe even help him move on.

He’s spent countless hours studying the lore and trying to figure out what secrets this place is hiding, and so far the most promising lead is that of a mysterious cult. There isn’t much info on the cult, only enough to wet his palate and keep him intrigued. But a lot of the rumors circle around the church and some hidden places within the forest. There’s a particular cave that he really wants to find since it’s supposed to be the place where a demon was summoned. That’s his main goal.

This will be the summer of uncovering the truth. No longer will Nockfell be a mystery to all of them. They will discover the secrets that have been buried by this town and see where fact and fiction come together. There are residents of this town that are still actively hiding these things and he wants to uncover it all. It’s thrilling to him, and he’s more than willing to give up his precious technology for this chance.

He would be lying if he claimed that he wasn’t also looking forward to the more traditional camp activities. Being one with nature is more his parent’s speed, but he can’t deny the joy of sitting around a campfire toasting marshmallows and reciting cliche ghost stories. There’s a certain thrill to playing hide and seek and other camp bonding activities. However, he refuses to admit any of this out loud. He has an image to uphold, and if his parents ever caught wind that he enjoys any of this stuff, they would likely insist that he go out more with them, and he has no intention of becoming quite as one with nature as they are.

Once he has finally finished going over his checklist, he grabs his bags and lugs them out into the living room. Then he escapes back into his room to enjoy a little quality time with his computers before he effectively goes dark for a month. 

***

“Are you looking forward to camp Travis?” an older man asks. He’s still dressed in his attire from leading mass that evening. He’s sitting with perfect posture at the table, acting like he doesn’t see the slumped form of his son in front of him. The man is acting like nothing is wrong with their perfect little family.

Travis gives a half hearted shrug, then seems to realize his mistake and sits up straighter. “Yes Father. It’s my final year going and then I can work as a counselor.”

The man nods his approval. “I knew you would make me proud and be willing to carry on family tradition. This camp is very important to us Travis.”

The blonde boy beams with pride at the kind words from his father and it’s enough to get him through one more dinner at home. One more night of sitting at the dining room table with this man before he can escape for a month. Sure, camp isn’t really the best place; he doesn’t exactly have friends there. But anything is better than his home life. So he’ll take some lonely nights in the woods over walking on eggshells constantly.

Once he’s finished his meal, he volunteers to clean up and takes everything into the kitchen. First he portions their leftovers out and puts them away in separate containers, just like his father likes it. Then he starts hand washing all the dishes. They own a dishwasher, but it’s not actually supposed to be used unless absolutely necessary. So usually Travis just does his work by hand so as to avoid incurring the wrath of his father. Anything to make his life easier.

Then he heads to his room to start packing. He would have packed last night but they had company from the church so he didn’t have time to do it between socializing with the other members of their parish. It can be hard to be so deeply involved with the church, but his faith is strong and he knows that God is watching over him and would not give him more than he can handle. That offers him solace in the times when he’s stressed or feeling the burdens of his life. He knows that God will be there for him no matter what. Even when he sins, God will listen as he repents and tries to make changes.

He grabs various shirts, shorts, and pants out of his closet and begins neatly packing them into his suitcase. He pulls out a worn book as well and holds it lovingly to his chest before burying it beneath his clothes. There’s no way he’s risking anyone finding his diary and reading the confessions scribbled on each page. No one can know the impure thoughts he has or read the notes he’s written to people he knows. Those are secrets to be kept with him until the grave.

Travis continues neatly packing his belongings until his suitcase is full to the bursting point and he feels he has enough clothes for the entire month. Since it’s such a long camp they do have access to washing machines, but he still doesn’t want to risk running out of the necessities and then having to mix his wash with Larry Johnson. Then his clothes will come out more dirty than when he put them in. Most people might think he’s exaggerating, but it actually happened last year. He needed to clean a few shirts for the last week of camp and one of them camp out with a stain on it that he knows wasn’t there when he put it in. It was absolutely disgusting and he does not intend to repeat that experience. Just thinking of the metal head causes him to shiver. Painful memories start to resurface and he can’t help but wish the two of them had never crossed paths. His life would certainly be a lot easier.

Once his clothes and supplies are finally all packed, he sets his suitcase by the door and goes to get ready for bed. One more night of comfort and then he will be at camp for a month. Travis is honestly excited about it, not that he would ever admit it to anyone else. Camp has become a sort of solace for him over the years. Despite still not having any real friends there, it’s a time when he is left mostly alone. He can enjoy nature and all the things it has to offer. Plus, he doesn’t have to deal with any of the normal commitments of his life. It’s freeing to know that he is safest in those woods. The only thing that would make it better was if Larry fucking Johnson would skip his final year. Though Travis knows that’s purely wishful thinking.

***

“Everything needs to be perfect. If it isn’t perfect none of this will work and he will be very angry. So make it perfect. I need to make it perfect.”

A light snuffs out and figures move in the shadows of the night. There are many preparations still to go, but so far this promises to be a very lucrative summer.


	2. Welcome To Camp

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Camp introductions are hard. They're even harder when you run away from the first person who tries to talk to you. Unfortunately for Sal, he does just that. But that does lead to him meeting someone who gives him a second chance at first impressions, and this time he's determined not to mess it up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys!! Welcome to chapter 2. I hope you enjoy getting to know the characters.

Naturally, to make life even more awkward, Sal and Henry are the first ones to pull up to camp. He knows it’s because they need to take care of all his medical needs and make sure he can get into the facilities, but it’s still embarrassing. He hates being the centre of attention and he knows that all the other kids are going to be whispering about the weird new kid with medical issues and a mask hiding his face. It’s going to be a repeat of every year since the accident and there’s nothing he can do to stop it. Just thinking about it causes anxiety to spike and he feels nauseous.

“You’re gonna have so much fun here Buddy,” Henry says, snapping the boy out of his anxiety haze. He lugs the bag with all Sal’s extra hygiene supplies into the nurse’s station. “Why don’t you put this stuff where you want it? The nurse won’t be here until later and has already been alerted about your things.”

“The counselor said we were going swimming a lot. Is that safe?” Sal asks as he busies himself putting everything in the cabinet. One of them has been specifically cleaned out just for him and only he and the nurse will have the key to it. Most of the stuff he won’t need, but it’s there as a precaution. All his normal hygiene items he can just keep in his cabin. Somehow he also gets to keep his meds with him too. Sal really isn’t sure how his father convinced them of that, given the types of medication he takes, but he’s grateful nonetheless. He would hate to be the kid always visiting the nurse to get little pills of some type. That’s how people start asking questions and learn far more than he’s comfortable sharing.

“As long as you clean afterward the doctor said it will be fine.”

Sal lets out an audible sigh and continues working. He has accepted that this is his home for the next month, but he’s still nervous about it. Maybe if he had come here before, when he was younger, he might not feel so jaded. But high school has only taught him just how cruel teenagers can be to someone who is different. And he can’t help but fear that it will all be the same here. Just a bunch of kids trying to figure out how much they can get away with.

He almost wishes he had taken his father up on the idea of him going out to introduce himself to his neighbors. But instead he foolishly continued unpacking his things and kept to himself. Maybe if he had just branched out, he could have gone into this camp with at least an acquaintance, if not an actual friend. But that’s just wishful thinking now. He dug himself into this hole and now he needs to face the consequences.

“Alright kiddo. Everything is set up for you. Why don’t we head back to the front and see if anyone else is here yet,” Henry suggests with a warm smile.

“Ok.”

Sal trails a little behind his father as they head back to the front of the camp. Some other people are starting to arrive at long last. He catches a glimpse of a boy with bright orange hair who he has seen a couple times around the apartment complex. He doesn’t know his name though since the other boy might be even more antisocial than he is. Maybe he would be a good person to talk to first. He definitely seems like the safest choice.

There are a few other vaguely familiar faces, but most of the people he doesn’t recognize at all. Anxiety spikes within him again and he wants nothing more than to leave. But he knows that’s not an option and tries to reassure himself that things won’t be as bad as he fears. This is a chance for him; a new beginning. He needs to look on the bright side of things and think positively.

“You must be Sal Fisher,” a young woman says. “My name is Alyson Rosenberg, but you can just call me Rose.” Then she meets eyes with Henry. “It’s so good to see you Henry. It’s been what, seven years since we last saw each other?”

“Just about,” Henry says with a smile. He draws the woman in for a tight hug. “You look well Rose. I’m impressed that you still haven’t aged in all these years.”

The young woman draws back and brings a slender finger up to her lips. “A lady never reveals her beauty secrets. Now Sal, I’m so excited you’ll be joining us this year. You’re going to love camp. It’s a place that can truly feel like home. Most of our campers have been coming for years so they are thrilled anytime they get to meet someone new.”

Sal mostly tunes her out as she rambles on about the camp. He catches a few key words like dinner, summer games, and the word swimming comes up an alarming amount, but the rest he just continues to ignore. It doesn’t matter anyway; all of it will be reiterated once everyone gets here and he can see that there’s an old looking speaker system around the open space. So even if he completely disregards everything, he can still be kept in the loop through that.

“Why don’t you go meet some of the others Sal?” Henry suggests once Rose is done talking.

“Alright,” he nods. He gives his father a quick hug. “Bye Dad.” Then he heads in the direction of the cabin where an overweight kid with green hair is sitting with the redhead from earlier. They seem least likely to try to bully him. Though, right as he approaches, a brunette comes out and flops down next to them with a lit cigarette. He has on tight pants and a ripped tank top with the letters SF on it. He definitely looks like someone who has a lot of power around here, which means he’s not the type that Sal wants to associate with at all.

“Johnson!” Rose calls from across the grounds. “Put that out right now!”

“Ah geez,” the brunette groans, stomping out the cigarette. When he looks up, he locks eyes with Sal. “Hey, you’re the new guy. You live at Addison Apartments. Ma told me you would be here!” He looks excited, but it makes Sal panic so without a word he darts off to the side. “Come back!” the now disembodied voice shouts.

Sal keeps running until he reaches a secluded area with a bench. Only then does he stop to catch his breath. “Fuck,” he mumbles, lifting the bottom of his mask up to suck in a few deep breaths. Exercise has never been his forte. Yet another reason why he can’t believe he’s been sent to summer camp of all things. Is his father not aware of the athletics required for all summer camp activities.

“You like the quiet too?” a voice suddenly asks.

Sal lets out a shriek he will definitely never admit to before he finds the source of the voice. On another bench, just a little ways away is a boy who looks to be way bigger than him with dark blue hair. He has a kind face though, so that helps make him look a little less intimidating. “Ah, uh, yea,” Sal replies, fumbling for his words. He really thought he would be safe out here from having to socialize.

“I’m Phillip,” the boy says. “I’ve been coming here for a few years now. It’s hard to be the new kid, but there are a lot of cool people here.”

“Sal.”

Phillip smiles brightly at him. “Well Sal, Welcome to camp. I promise you’ll like it here. And most everyone is nice. I was nervous my first year too. But the people really make this place, and now it feels like freedom to come here. I hope it can feel like that for you too. You look like you need a place to feel free.”

“I guess…,” he mutters. He takes a seat on the unoccupied bench and brings his knees up to his chest. “I’m new to the area. Just moved here. I kinda wish I had met some people before camp. But hindsight is 20/20.” He pauses for a moment to consider his words. “I guess it’s just hard seeing all these people and knowing they’re friends and I’m an outsider.” It’s weird that he’s admitting this to a complete stranger, but he likes Phillip. He feels at ease with the bigger boy. His aura is different, calming. Plus, it’s rare that he meets someone who doesn’t zero in on the mask first.

“You can be their friend too.”

“How?”

“It’s easy. C’mon. Show me who you were trying to talk to. I’ll friend wingman you,” Phillip replies. He stands up from his seat and it’s alarming how much bigger he is than Sal. He holds out a hand and the smaller boy tentatively takes it. “You seem like Larry’s type, so after we talk to the people you saw, I’ll introduce you to Larry. He looks intimidating because he’s tall, but he’s an idiot. He’s also stupidly selfless. So once you befriend him, he’ll defend you without a second thought.” 

The two of them take off down the road as Phillip continues his story. “When I first met him, I thought he was top dog or something. He seemed like the kind of guy people listened to. And then I heard him talk for the first time. The guy must have been sky high because the first thing he said was about snakes wearing socks to keep warm and then he burst into tears. It was the most alarming thing I’ve ever seen. He’s a skyscraper dude. Then this girl, Ash, comes over and apologizes repeatedly as she smacks him upside the head and practically drags him away. After that, I wasn’t worried about anyone I met here.”

“Larry seems weird,” Sal comments. “Not bad weird. Just weird. Ash seems cool though.”

“You’ll like both of them. I almost hope Larry is high when you meet him just so you can have a funny story like the rest of us,” Phillip replies with a laugh.

“The rest of you?”

“Every single person here has a story about that idiot. He’s been coming here since he was first able to. Rose even has photos from the previous years. So you can look through them anytime if you ask her. Or we can sneak in and find them,” the bigger boy suggests coyly. The two of them wander back onto the main campgrounds and immediately go over to the small group Sal just ran away from.

“Larry’s last name isn’t Johnson is it?” Sal asks meekly, already feeling embarrassment burn hot in his gut.

“Yea. Why?”

“I just ran away from him.”

Phillip laughs loudly at that one. “All the more reason to meet him. He probably thinks you hate him now. Let’s go soothe the poor guy’s fears.”

Sal reluctantly keeps walking. He can’t imagine the brunette being worried about what someone thinks of him. He looks too cool to care what people think.

“Hey!” Larry of all people shouts. He’s sitting on the steps now, in between the other two boys. “You’re the guy from before. I’m glad you decided to come back. I didn’t mean to freak you out earlier,” he says, looking incredibly sheepish for someone who didn’t actually do anything wrong. It’s weird. 

“Yea. Sorry about that.”

“Hey, I’m Larry by the way. The guy with the green hair is Chug and the redhead is Todd. What’s your name?” 

“Sal.”

“Nice,” Larry nods, seemingly in approval of his name. “Cool mask dude. I dig it.”

“It’s a prosthetic,” Sal replies automatically, cursing himself for immediately bringing even more attention to it.

“Wha? So like, do you not have a face under there?” Larry asks. He looks like he’s genuinely curious and not just prodding for the sake of it. The redhead, Todd, looks astonished and horrified at the bluntness of his friend.

“I’d rather not talk about it.”

“That’s cool man. Well welcome to camp. You’re gonna have the time of your life here!” Larry announces. Sal is shocked that it was so easy to get him off the subject of his “face,” but he’s not complaining. Instead, he joins the three guys and steadily learns more about them. Apparently they’ve all been friends for years and met because they all live in the very apartment complex that Sal just moved into. He marvels at the fact that he could have met all of these people way sooner if he had just listened to his Dad. It doesn’t matter though, because he’s meeting them now and all three of them are awesome.

Chug and Todd are both relatively quiet and reserved, but it seems to work because Larry is definitely content to do more of the talking. It makes things easier though, because Sal can work with someone more talkative, and soon he finds himself feeling almost comfortable. Maybe camp isn’t so bad afterall, certainly not if most of the people are like this.

***

“Welcome campers!” Rose says enthusiastically to the teens all gathered around the fire pit. “It’s our first night of camp and that means smores and introductions.”

“All of us know each other,” a young girl with silver hair points out.

“We actually have a new camper with us this summer,” Rose replies, still smiling happily at all of them. Her eyes lock onto Sal’s and for a moment he swears he sees a flash of red. But before he can even fully process it, the hue is gone and everything is seemingly back to normal again. He chalks it up to nerves and offers a small wave to the group.

“Hey, I’m Sal. I just moved here,” he says meekly.

“What’s with the weird mask?” a blonde boy with a bruise on his eye asks. He’s sneering, making it painfully obvious that he isn’t just oblivious to social norms like Larry. No, he definitely has malicious intent. This is definitely someone Sal wants to steer clear of at all costs.

“Oh piss off Travis,” Larry counters for him, immediately defending his new friend just like Phillip said he would. He sits up from where he was previously reclining and throws an arm around Sal’s shoulders. Sal immediately blushes, but fortunately his prosthetic covers him from further embarrassment. “At least try to not be a prick for once. Maybe you’ll make a friend or two.”

“Language,” Rose warns. 

“Tell him to stop picking fights,” Larry argues back.

“Lawrence,” the woman says sternly. “Out. Now.”

“Whatever,” Larry says with a shrug. He stands up and makes a show of brushing himself off before heading back in the direction of the cabins.

“Alright. Let’s continue with the introductions. Who’s next?” Rose says with a forced smile.

Sal zones out again, mostly focusing in when the people he already knows speak. Everyone is asked to share a fun fact about themselves. Chug informs everyone that he’s still the reigning champion in the nearby city’s hotdog eating contest. Todd takes a moment to brag that he programmed a computer game this past year. A pretty girl with long brunette hair tells them that she just got into photography and is looking for willing subjects for a project she’s working on. She seems to purposely leave it cryptic, most likely in an attempt to further entice people into helping her out. She even raises her camera up to look through it at the scenery around her. A guy with cornrows named Neil claims that no one can beat him at hide and seek. The only other person Sal really pays attention to is Travis. He instantly starts preaching about religion and how his father is a pastor at the local church. He seems proud to be so devoted to his faith and something about the way he speaks leaves a bad taste in Sal’s mouth.

Once introductions are done, Rose leaves Neil in charge of the smores as she takes her leave, most likely to talk to Larry. Sal definitely doesn’t pity him. Instead, he grabs a couple graham crackers for himself and moves so he isn’t sitting in direct light from the fire.

“You don’t want any smores?” Phillip asks just as he’s slipping a small piece under his prosthetic.

Sal shakes his head as he chews. “Can’t really eat them.”

“You can’t take your prosthetic off?”

“No. I don’t like taking it off,” Sal confesses. He really isn’t sure why he’s so open with this near stranger, but it feels nice to talk to someone. Maybe it’s the blue hair. Although different shades, it’s a rare enough color that it almost provides an instant connection. Or at least, that’s the bullshit excuse he’s going to continue feeding himself.

The bigger boy seems to accept this and continues eating his own treat. “Listen, a word of advice, stay away from Travis. I’m sure you can tell, but he’s a bit of a bully. I think he has a lot going on at home. But either way, he’s bad news.”

“I don’t really want to spend any time with him.”

“He’s been coming here for a long time and still doesn’t really talk with anyone unless he’s threatening them,” Phillip continues. “And he’s never even tried to branch out. Him and Larry seem to have a lot of history too. The two of them are at each other’s throats every year. And every year Rose threatens to kick one or both of them out. I saw it happen once and Travis got so pale. He hates it here, but he must hate something at home even more.”

“Why are you telling me all this?” Sal questions.

He shrugs. “You’re new. It can be nice to get the lowdown early on instead of having to figure it all out.”

“Thanks.” He’s about to say more when a girl with purple hair wearing a simple dress bounds up to him.

“Hiya! I’m Meghan,” she says. “You look like you need a friend.”

“Oh, hey. I’m Sal.”

“I know silly. We just did introductions.” She plops down next to him and smiles before offering some more plain graham crackers. “I don’t like smores much either. It’s nice to meet someone who’s the same.”

Sal doesn’t have it in his heart to correct her, so instead he just takes the crackers and resumes munching on them. “How long have you been coming here?” he asks when the silence gets to be too much for even him.

“Mmm, about five years now. I’m the youngest one here. It’s kinda weird,” she rambles. “Last year I was one of the oldest in the previous age group and now I’m back to being the youngest. I know everyone here though.”

“Do you like this camp?”

“I love it! Every time I come here I’m so happy. Camp is like a safe place. Nothing outside of here matters,” she explains. “Did you come here to get away from something too?”

He shakes his head. “No. I came here because my Dad made me. We just moved here and he wanted me to make friends.”

“Oh, well this is the perfect place to make friends!”

“Who should I make friends with?” Sal asks. It’s refreshing to talk to this girl. Something about her is just so sweet and innocent. He feels like he won’t be judged.

“Well me obviously,” she says with a smile. “And Larry. Because Larry will protect you if anyone is ever mean to you. He protected me once. He’s so sweet and nice and tall!” Suddenly she has a dreamy look on her face and the older boy can’t help but wonder if maybe she has a bit of a crush on Larry.

“Anyone else?”

“Mmm, really anyone. Hey, is Sal short for anything?”

“Sally.”

“That’s a girl’s name.”

He shrugs and smiles, hoping the girl can tell. “Well, I guess my Dad thought it would make a good name for a boy too.

“I’m gonna call you Sally Boy instead,” she announces. Then another girl waves at her from across the campfire. “Oh, that’s my friend. I have to go see her. But it was nice meeting you Sally Boy!” With a wave, she’s off and running back across the area to go sit with another girl.

Sal decides that his social clock has officially run out, so he gets up and heads back towards the cabins. This was the only thing on the agenda for the night, so he figures it won’t be that big of a deal if he just goes to get ready for bed. Besides, his nighttime routine is guaranteed to take longer than anyone else’s, so it would be best if he got a head start.

The camp is… nice. The people seem to be a little strange, but not necessarily in a bad way. All of them just have very distinct personalities. It’s honestly refreshing to meet people who aren’t just cookie cutters of the celebrities he sees on tv. Back in Jersey it was so much of the same. So many people faking who they were to win some invisible popularity contest. He hated it so much. He’s glad that these people seem to just embrace who they are.

He carefully makes his way across the camp, intending to get his things from his bunk when he hears voices. He quickly ducks into the shadows, and although he knows it’s rude, he eavesdrops. He wants to think he doesn’t have any other choice since he literally can’t get around them without interrupting and somehow that feels even more rude.

“Larry, you can’t act like this. This is your last year. You need to be a role model.”

“I can’t stand that prick Rose. Where does he get off talking to anyone like that? Much less someone who just got here.”

“How about this year you let  _ me _ talk to Travis instead. Stop picking fights with him.”

“If he throws a punch, I’m throwing one back.”

“Larry.” A very audible sigh. “Please don’t make me kick you out.”

“I’ll try not to. Self defense only Rose.”

“Fine. Just… don’t push him.”

Sal presses himself even further into the corner as the young woman walks back. He waits until her footsteps fade before making any moves, but is instantly shocked still again when he hears Larry speak: “You can come out now.”

He cautiously comes out of his hiding place and comes face to chest with Larry Johnson. “I’m sorry,” he apologizes quickly. Although this guy stood up for him earlier, he still doesn’t want to risk getting on his bad side for eavesdropping. Larry seems like a formidable foe.

“It’s no big deal little man. You’ll probably hear a lot of that this summer and I’m not known for being quiet or anything,” Larry replies with a laugh. “I’m sorry about that prick earlier. You didn’t deserve that shit.”

“I’m used to it. My friends weren’t the greatest people.”

“Sounds like you need better friends.”

“Probably.” The two of them walk the rest of the way to the cabins and Sal gathers his stuff. Larry does the same and they set off for the washroom before Sal finds the courage to ask: “Why are you and Travis always fighting?”

“I don’t like bullies,” Larry replies instantly. “And I hate people who pick on my friends even more. If he would just stop being such a prick and keep to himself it would be fine, but he always has to drag others into his shit. It’s annoying. He also just...” Larry trails off, seemingly rethinking the words he was going to say. “I just don’t like seeing my friends get hurt.”

“Bullies suck,” Sal agrees. He sets his toiletries up and pulls a special divider out so that he’s shielded from Larry’s view. It isn’t a perfect science, but it at least makes it so that he can work in relative peace with less of a chance of anyone seeing him.

“I won’t let you get bullied here,” Larry announces suddenly. “No more of his shit. This is my final year and it’s gonna be a good one.”

“Thanks Larry.”

There’s silence again for several minutes. Sal makes quick work of cleaning the inside of his prosthetic and spreading cream on his face. Then he secures the prosthetic again and closes the divider so he can see Larry brushing his hair.

“You wanna hear a secret Sal?” he asks as he works a particularly tangled chunk. “I feel like I can trust you for some reason. I dunno what it is man, but I just feel it and wanna tell you.”

“Sure.”

“There’s a lot of mysteries at this camp,” he explains. His brow is furrowed in concentration but there’s a smile on his face that reveals an oddly endearing gap tooth. “And since this is me an’ my friends final summer, we’re gonna figure out all the mysteries. Todd made these walkie talkies. We can go all over the campgrounds and still be able to talk to each other. He’s a genius man. I dunno if I believe all the stuff he says ‘bout ghosts and cults, but I sure as Hell am up for the adventure.”

“What are you gonna do?”

“Not sure. We’re gonna record everything we see. Ash has her camera and Todd brought this journal to write shit down in. I’m gonna draw the stuff I see probably,” Larry continues to explain. “Chug doesn’t seem to want anything to do with it. But Maple, she might be down and he’s so hung up on her that he’ll probably come along just to try to impress her. Not sure about Neil yet. He likes rules. But I have a trump card that might work. It’s gonna be sick little dude. You in?”

Sal doesn’t even have to think twice before he’s nodding. “Hell yea I am. I love ghost hunting.”

Larry stops everything and turns to look at Sal with the biggest grin. The hairbrush is still dangling in his hair and he looks like a literal rat king, but it suddenly makes Sal’s heart flutter in a weird way he’s never really experienced before. “Fuck yea man. I knew I told you for a reason. Sal, dude, you’re gonna be our ace in the hole or whatever. You’re gonna help us solve this thing. I just know it.”

Sal smiles. Maybe camp isn’t so bad afterall.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed!! Please let me know what you think??


	3. Larry

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Learn a little more about Larry through flashbacks to his youth. Experience the bully, name calling, and discrimination that has shaped him into the bitter teenager he is. Oh, and go explore some creepy woods because that's the most intelligent thing to do when there are rumors of a cult.

**** _ A younger Larry sits outside Addison Apartments, watching as his mother scrubs paint off their beat up truck. “Alien” and “Get Out” are some of the choice words painted on the vehicle. His mother had broken down in tears when she saw them but still went to clean the hateful words off.  _

_ “Ma?” Larry asks as he finally gets up. His hair is shorter, only about shoulder length and his eyes are big and curious. There’s no sign of the undereye bags that become so prevalent when he gets older. He has on a black baseball cap with a red rim, a gift from his best friend. He’s been wearing it nonstop ever since. “Why did they write those things?” _

_ The woman sniffles and brings her wrist up to rub at her eyes. “I don’t know Larbear. Some people are just mean spirited and don’t know how to be nice to others.” _

_ “Is it because we’re from Mexico?” he asks. He heard some of the kids in his class whisper about it, but mostly paid them no mind. He wants to be a good kid and work hard like his mother always asks him to. So he ignores the mean words of the other middle schoolers and listens to his teachers. _

_ “Don’t you worry about that. Why don’t you go inside and mix some lemonade for us to drink?” the kind woman suggests. _

_ “Ok Ma,” he smiles, showing off his gap tooth. The kids say things about that too and he doesn’t get it. Why should he care about having straight teeth? He likes his smile. He thinks it makes him look different than all the others and his Ma always says different is good.  _

_ He rushes inside and makes lemonade for himself and his mother, waiting patiently for her to come back. It takes hours though and all the ice has long since melted when she finally returns. She apologizes profusely, looking distraught that she kept him waiting. Apparently tenants had been calling for her while she was cleaning the car and she had to go help them. She’s always on call, even when she’s sick. It makes Larry sad. When they came here it was supposed to be for a better life, but his mother looks more run down than she ever did in their old home. _

***

Larry shakes his head and takes another drag from the joint between his lips. After lights out he snuck out back where Rose hopefully won’t catch him. He needed to light up though. Camp has already been off to a rocky start and he’s beginning to wonder if this really will be the best summer yet, or if he’s gonna go out with a bang. If he keeps smoking like this he knows he’s a sitting duck for Rose to finally snap. The woman has always liked him and his mother, but he knows that he’s been steadily pushing it over the years. One day she’s bound to snap and actually follow through on her threats. Just one more reason for his mother to be disappointed in him. 

“Are you going to spend all of camp high?” Todd asks. He steps out and sits down beside his friend. “Being high isn’t great for keeping you quiet.”

“Says the one whose parents deal to me,” Larry replies with a grin. He holds the blunt out. “Want a hit?”

“I’ll pass,” Todd says crossly. “Stop going to my parents for this shit. It isn’t good for either of you. And what would you do if you got caught? What would your Mom think if she had to bail you out of jail… again.”

“Shut up Todd.”

“Then stop running from the truth.”

“I said shut up,” Larry repeats, bringing his arm back before remembering who he’s talking to and stopping himself. He slowly lowers it and takes a long drag. It helps to calm the anger burning in his stomach. He knows he needs to get himself under control, but he just feels on edge, and someone who is supposed to be his friend bringing up his past really isn’t helping matters. “Stop bringing that shit up and I’ll consider cutting back.”

“I’m looking out for your best interests,” Todd replies, not even flinching at his friend’s momentary lapse in judgement. He looks out into the forest, seemingly scanning for something unseen. “Are you serious about helping me figure out what goes on in these woods?”

“Of course I am.”

“Are you serious about that new kid joining us.”

“He has a name.”

“You have a crush.”

“Aw shut up Todd,” Larry moans. “Can’t you lay off me for more than two minutes. First the smoking and now my shitty love life. I like the guy but I don’t expect anything from him. He seems like he has a lot of issues, probably some heavy baggage too.”

“You always did like a challenge.”

Larry leans back with his arms under his head. The stars are shining brightly above him and soothe some of his residual anger. “I’m not trying to bone the guy. I just, I dunno. I feel some kind of connection with him and I want to get to know him. Besides, you have your eyes on someone too and might be even less subtle than Chug.”

“I must still be subtle enough because he hasn’t noticed.”

“Or he’s straight,” Larry bites back. He knows it’s a low blow but in the moment he can’t help it. He’s still pissed about Todd’s comments about his family life. He worries it might be too far though when he doesn’t hear anything for a few minutes and eventually chances a look at his friend.

“He probably is,” Todd finally sighs, looking rundown.

“Hey man. I’m sorry. That was shitty,” Larry finally apologizes. He sits back up and looks worriedly at the redhead. “I got pissed and shouldn’t have said that.”

Todd shakes his head sadly. “I’d rather hear it from you than keep getting my hopes up. Besides, how many gay kids can possibly be in this tiny town. I can’t wait to get out of here next year.”  
“Right. Big city college.”

“You staying in Nockfell?”

“I’m gonna help Ma out and maybe try to work at the mechanic shop. There isn’t much out there for me,” Larry says. It bums him out to even think that, but he knows it’s the truth. A lot of people take one look at him and shoo him out the door without another word. Help Wanted signs don’t seem to apply to him unless it’s something lower than minimum wage.

“Don’t say that. Not everywhere is like Nockfell,” Todd says. “Come to the city with me. We can get a dingy apartment or something. My parents said they would help with rent until I get my degree. Maybe Ash could come too. We can get out of this town.”

Larry smiles. “Maybe.”

***

_ “Go back to your country alien!” a young Travis shouts from the other end of the hallway. Larry keeps his head down and makes his way to his locker. He just needs to get his books and he can head home for the day. That’s all he needs to do. “Hey!” the blonde shouts, closer this time. Suddenly there’s a hand on his shoulder, forcing him to turn just enough to see the bully. The two of them stand eye to eye since Larry has yet to hit his growth spurt. “Don’t ignore me like you’re better than me. Your Mom is a janitor. You’re not special.” _

_ “Shut up,” Larry mutters. He tries to pull away but the grip only tightens. _

_ “What did you say to me Alien?” Travis sneers. Even young he’s still angry and brash. Marks have begun to appear on his tanned skin but Larry doesn’t care enough to question it. All Larry cares about right now is staying out of his way.  _

_ Larry raises his head and looks at his tormentor for the first time, anger blazing in his eyes. “I said shut up!” He pulls away and turns to continue walking when he feels two hands on his back push him. He stumbles a few steps and drops his books in the process. It doesn’t matter though, he suddenly sees red. He whips around with his fists up, ready to fight, just like his father taught him when they lived in Mexico. “Don’t touch me.” _

_ “Or what?” Travis taunts. _

_ Larry doesn’t even give him a response, instead swinging and decking the blonde right in the jaw. His hand screams in agony, but he’s too angry to care about that right now, especially when Travis aims a punch directly at his nose. Staff intervene only minutes later and pull the two boys apart before sending them to the office. Naturally, Travis is called in first to give his version of the story. It gives Larry a sinking feeling to know that the boy will be able to say whatever he wants and it will become his word against Travis’. He has an idea of who will win that fight. _

_ At the age of eleven, Larry Johnson learns that life isn’t fair. He learns about discrimination and what it means to be labelled as a problematic student. He learns how teachers play favorites when one person comes from money and the other comes from nothing. And, most importantly, he learns how to act the part. _

***

“Sal. Sal. Wake up,” Larry whisper shouts, shaking the other boy.

“Ah!” Sal near screams, sitting up with a jolt. He reaches up with shaky hands to make sure he sleeping mask is still in place, letting out a relieved sigh when he feels it covering the majority of his scars. He can’t wear the prosthetic to bed so he settles for something that at least covers most of the gore. “You scared me.”

“Sorry dude,” Larry apologizes, but not after checking to make sure they didn’t wake any of the others up. The last thing he needs right now is to get chewed out again on only the second night. “We’re heading out to do a little exploring. You in?”

Sal smiles. It’s covered by the mask, but Larry can clearly see it from his eyes… or maybe just eye since one of them looks a little too dark. There’s a lot of scarring around it that disappears beneath the soft cloth mask. He wonders what lays beneath but asking seems like a terrible idea. He wants Sal to trust him, not to think he’s trying to sneak a peak. “Yea. Just… give me a second. I need to get ready.”

“Sure man. Meet us out back.” Then he tip toes quietly outside where Todd and Ash are waiting for him. “You guys it?”

“Unless Sal comes yea,” Ash replies. “Maple passed out and I couldn’t wake her and we all know Chug isn’t going anywhere unless he gets a chance to woo his gothic princess.” She rolls her eyes a little but smiles nonetheless at the romantic gesture.

“I didn’t ask Neil,” Todd confesses. “It’s only the second night. We need to make some headway before he’s even going to consider breaking the rules to explore with us.”

“Y’know,” Larry grins, slinging his arm around the redhead. “When I first met you Todd, I never thought you would be one to break the rules, but here we are. I daresay you might be the most rebellious out of all of us.”

Todd pushes his arm off. “Cut it out Johnson.”

Just as the two are about to start bickering again, Sal rounds the corner, looking around cautiously. “Hey,” he whispers.

“Glad you could make it Sal,” Larry grins. He abandons the others to sling an arm around his new friend. Todd is absolutely right, he has it bad for the blue haired teen, but he wasn’t kidding when he said he wasn’t going to pursue anything right off the bat. The kid really does seem to have a lot of issues and mystery surrounding him. He’d rather get to know him a little better first to at least measure his odds. And what better way to get to know someone than adventuring through some supposedly haunted woods. It will be especially effective if he can end up going off alone with the other boy. Maybe he can play knight in shining armor and protect him from the spooky sounds around them. That is, if he doesn’t get spooked first. He really isn’t too keen on ghosts, just exploring.

“So what’s the plan?” Ash asks.

“We go down to Wendigo lake,” Todd replies. He pulls out the walkie talkies and hands one to each of them. “We’ll explore all together but these are just in case anyone gets separated. At most we’ll go down to groups of two, but no solo stuff. The lake is the hub of activity and rumors here.”

“What are we looking for?” Sal asks curiously.

“Ghosts man. Maybe signs of the cult too,” Larry replies. He still has his arm slung around his shoulders, and either Sal is too polite to push him off, or this is a step in the right direction. Larry is going to take it as a good sign and continues talking up Todd’s plan, parroting back things the redhead has been telling him for years in an attempt to sound knowledgeable. “There’s lots of rumors about this place. Some people see ghosts and others talk about a cult that practices summoning demons here.”

“The Devourers of God,” Todd fills in.

“Yea. Those guys,” the brunette nods. “A long time ago they summoned a demon here and supposedly lost control of it. So who knows what happened after that. But we think the cult might still be active. Weird shit has been happening in Nockfell lately. Cult shit.”

Ash smacks him gently. “We don’t know that you idiot. There has been weird stuff though. This past year, we found out the old English teacher at our school was a cannibal. Scary stuff. And there was a vicious murder in Addison Apartments. They never caught the guy though.”

“I saw it happen,” Larry agrees. “I know who did it but the cops won’t listen to me.”

***

_ “Beat it kid,” the blonde cop snarls. “We don’t need brats poking around in police business.” _

_ “But I saw it happen,” Larry insists. “I was in the apartment.” _

_ “No you didn’t. You’re making shit up,” he replies, rounding on the teenager. “I recognize you Johnson. I was the one who had to watch your ass when you went to juvie. All you aliens are the same. Coming into our country and committing crimes, taking jobs from good American citizens. You just act like you belong here. But you don’t. So stay out of my business and don’t give me a reason to lock you up again.” _

_ Larry looks like he wants to say something else, but holds himself back for once and leaves the area. He heads out back and lights up a cigarette. It’s an even worse habit than the pot, but at least it’s more on the legal side. With cops all over the apartments, he really doesn’t want to cause any more trouble for his mother. It’s bad enough she’s been questioned repeatedly despite having a solid alibi. She doesn’t need the extra stress of her son being sent back to juvie too.  _

***

“Earth to Larry,” Ash says, waving a hand in front of his face.

“I need a smoke,” he growls before stalking off. He heads into the trees, anxiously flicking his lighter as he walks. He just needs to cool down for a minute and then he can go back and continue the ghost hunt with his friends. This is what he’s been looking forward to all summer. He can’t let the past get to him now. Those cops are dicks and so are all the other people who look down on him because of where he came from.

In his haste to get away, he doesn’t see the figure in front of him until it’s too late. He crashes into them and falls on his ass. “Watch where yo-” he stops and his blood runs cold.

In front of him is a person is black robes and a dog mask. The figure is towering over his fallen form menacingly. He can smell a strong incense coming off of them and in their hand is a knife that gleams in the moonlight, reflecting the strange markings on it. “Shit,” he mutters.

***

“He’s been gone a long time,” Sal comments from his seat. “Should we go look for him?”

“He’s had a stick up his ass since he got here,” Todd replies, still looking annoyed. “And he’s smoking even more than usual.”

“Is that a yes?” Sal questions. He gets up and dusts himself off, scanning the area around him. There are the normal noises of nature at night, but other than that the area is eerily quiet. It’s unsettling and he doesn’t really want to go alone, but Todd is making no move to help and Ash seems conflicted. So without waiting for either of them to come to a decision, he takes off in the direction he last saw Larry go.

“Larry!” he whisper shouts once he enters the woods. It’s all unfamiliar territory to him and he quickly begins to feel disoriented. He hopes he can find the tall boy quickly and then be led back out of this forest. Because his chances of finding his way back out really aren’t great and he didn’t grab a walkie before he left. He curses his stupidity but figures the only thing to do now is keep pressing onwards. Standing here lost certainly won’t do him any good.

He wanders a bit further and stops suddenly when he hears rustling. “Larry?” he whispers, more and more convinced he should have tried to get the others to help him. Doing this alone really was a mistake.

Sal reaches up and begins to tug on his hair as he calls out once more, “Larry?” The rustling intensifies and he braces himself to either walk towards the noise or turn back and run for cover.

Suddenly, Larry himself bursts through the bushes. “Run,” he hisses, grabbing onto Sal’s arm. Not being one to argue with a panicked giant, Sal forces his feet to move and they both hightail it back to the cabins. Larry is fortunately familiar with the area and knows all the twists and turns so he’s able to half drag Sal back to camp in a matter of minutes.

“What the fuck Larry?” Todd asks the moment they burst through the trees. “You’re gonna get us caught.”

The two bend over to catch their breaths and eventually just collapse onto the ground when the adrenaline runs out. “Right now,” Larry huffs. “I don’t care.”

“What did you see?” Ash asks. She ventures over to the two boys and kneels down next to them, at least having the decency to look mildly concerned. “Is there something out there?”

“The cult is real,” Larry finally whispers. “And they almost fucking took me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed chapter 3!! If you want to take any guesses at who attacked Larry, comment them down below!!


	4. Neil

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Neil comes from a well off family, is smart, good looking, and on his way to an Ivy League School. At least, he was. Neil has a dark secret that's been haunting him for a long time. Meanwhile, the camp is doing a puzzle room, but the twist isn't quite what Rose originally planned.

**** _ "This is the best damn party I’ve ever been to!” an unnamed woman screams right as Neil opens the door. He lets out a sigh and pushes through the crowd of people. He can see his older brother amongst them. He knew coming home tonight was a bad idea and now he has to deal with the consequences. Every time his parents go away on their romantic vacations this happens: their house gets over run with college kids, booze, sex, and drugs. Neil absolutely despises it. But he wouldn’t dare rat out his brother. _

_ “Hey little bro,” said brother grins, slinging and arm around Neil’s shoulders. “Come join us. There’s a hot little number by the couch I think you’ll like. Blonde hair, big boobs, the works.” _

_ Neil shoves the arm off him. “That sounds more like your type Daniel. I’m going to bed. I’m tired. Some of us have jobs.” _

_ “Some of us don’t need jobs,” he replies, dangling a little baggie of white powder in front of his face. The younger goes to grab for it, but it’s yanked away from him too quickly. “Uh uh. You’re the little prodigy. What would happen if you got caught for possession. Those ivy league schools would cast you out immediately. So just let me handle this.” _

_ “If you get caught again, with possession no less, you’ll go to jail.” _

_ “Guess I won’t get caught,” Daniel responds. He saunters off, going over to talk to the blonde girl with big boobs that he apparently invited for Neil. Little does his brother, or anyone else for that matter, know, that he would much prefer someone else. Someone shorter than him, with unruly hair and glasses. Someone who is studious and cares about their future. He moves through the crowd, looking to see if there’s anyone he knows. Of course he spots Larry Johnson with a cup of liquor in hand and a joint between his lips. _

_ “What are you doing here?” he hisses, pulling the brunette aside. _

_ “Blowing off some steam,” Larry slurs back. He goes to take a drink from his cup but Neil grabs it first and sets it out of reach. “Hey man. I was drinking that.” _

_ “No, you’re not,” Neil replies. “And you’re going home. You don’t belong here Larry. You’re not like this.” _

_ “How would you know?” _

_ “You’re going down a bad path. Now get out of here. Whenever Daniel throws these parties, the cops usually get called. I don’t want you caught up in that,” Neil says. There’s compassion in his eyes and fortunately Larry listens, stumbling to the doorway. Neil knows he has a bad past with cops, so that probably scared him into action. Otherwise there would have been way more of a fight. _

_ With that crisis averted, Neil goes to his bedroom, which he at least remembered to lock, and opens it up. He shuts and relocks the door before collapsing onto his bed and trying his best to drown out the pounding bass. It was a long night at work, and he still needs to wake up early tomorrow to finish some of his homework. Exams are coming soon and he has college interviews to prepare for as well. He needs to keep working hard if he wants to stay at the top of his class. _

***

“Rise and shine boys,” Ash says as she sneaks into the boys tent, water gun in hand. She motions for the other girls to head to their targets before unleashing a beastly yell and spraying Larry with everything she’s got. The other girls do the same, laughing all the while. “Camp tradition losers!” she yells in victory.

Megan creeps up to Sal, ready to spray him as well, but he’s already awake and silently pleads with her not to. Being the sweet girl that she is, she gives a nod and turns to find a different victim. Sal lets out a sigh of relief and grabs for his prosthetic. His insomnia kept him up most of the night, made way worse by the things Larry described to them. He told them about a person in a dog mask who attacked him, seemingly out for real blood. He only wishes he knew why the tall boy was attacked. Larry claims that the person pulled a knife on him with no explanation whatsoever and he hightailed it out of there without a backwards glance. Todd says it’s surefire proof that the cult is still active out here and that they need to move quickly if they want to get any answers. In fact, the redhead wanted them to go back out last night, but Larry was so shaken up that he was able to convince them all to wait another night at least.

“Get the fuck back here Ashley Campbell you ass!” Larry near roars as he launches out of bed to get to the girl who sprayed him. She ducks but isn’t nearly fast enough and is wrapped in a tight bear hug that leaves her soaked as well. This is, of course, made way worse because he sleeps in just boxers. 

“Larry!” she squeals. The rest of the girls run out of the room as the boys in the room just seem alarmed and confused at their now damp state.

“Now now, let her go Larry,” Neil chuckles. He goes over and pries the lanky boy’s arms off her. “You got us good Ash.”

“Every year. You’d think you guys would learn,” she laughs back at him, smiling widely and uncaring of the fact that she was caught.

“Well maybe we have,” Neil replies with a wink. She looks confused for a moment before Todd appears behind her with a huge bucket of water that he promptly dumps on her head, thoroughly soaking her to the core. Neil laughs loudly and high fives the other two. “Good teamwork.”

“Assholes,” she replies, but there’s no malice in her voice.

“Better go change Ash,” Larry teases. “You look a little damp.”

“Oh I’ll get all of you back for this,” she threatens, but still turns to leave. She offers a wave to Sal when they lock eyes and he shyly returns it. Then he burrows back underneath the covers. 

Once she’s gone Larry grins at the dark skinned boy. “Damn Neil. I didn’t think you would actually go through with it.”

“I’m allowed to have a bad side too,” Neil replies without missing a beat. “Especially if it’s something harmless that won’t get me in trouble.”

“Sometimes trouble can be fun too,” Larry says. “You should try it sometime.” Then he leans in close and whispers, “Speaking of trouble, we’ve had some developments in our theory and could use your help. Todd could especially use your help since he’s the only one in our group with more than a single brain cell.” He’s determined to help the redhead out, especially since he was such a dick to his friend last night.

Neil and Todd both blush and the redhead instantly turns away to busy himself in finding dry clothes. “I’ll keep that in mind,” Neil replies once he regains his calm. “For now though, try to stay out of trouble when Rose is watching.”

“No promises,” Larry sing songs. He saunters over to Sal’s bed and pulls the covers back. The boy has since put his prosthetic on so it’s not nearly as alarming as it was when Megan showed up. “Hey there Sal. How’d you avoid getting wet?”

“I said please?” he offers.

Larry reaches over and ruffles his already too fluffy hair. “Damn. I gotta learn from you then.” Then, without another word, he pulls the boy in, also getting him wet. “Or I could help the girls out,” he laughs. Sal just blushes.

***

Everyone gathers in the dining hall for breakfast, happily changed into dry clothes. Most of the girls sit together, but Ash plops down next to her usual crew. “Hey losers.”

“Hmmm, did you hear someone talking Sal?” Larry asks.

That gets the girl to move to give her friend a noogie. “You, Larry Johnson, are an ass. I’m still not sure why I’m actually friends with you. Why do I keep coming back.”

“You like the pain.”

“Do you think Neil wants company?” Todd suddenly asks. He’s staring across the dining hall to where the boy is reading as he eats his breakfast.

“From us? No. From you? Maybe,” Larry shrugs. “Go ask him about what he’s reading. Then you two can nerd it up and maybe, y’know.” Then he makes a lewd gesture and winks.

Todd glares and gets up, ready to leave the table just to get away from the taller boy’s teasing. As he nears the other boy, Rose comes in and goes over to him with a smile. “Neil,” she says. He looks up from his book, obviously confused at why she’s looking for him. “You have a phone call. Someone named Daniel.”

He closes his book harshly and stands up to follow her out of the room.

***

_ “C’mon man. Have some fun for once in your life,” Daniel whines. _

_ “I’m not blowing off work to party with you,” Neil sighs. “I just need you to give me a ride there and pick me up after. I’ll even pay for gas.” _

_ “Just skip. What’s it matter if you take a day off?” Daniel asks. “You’re always working. What could you possibly be trying to buy that our parents won’t just get for you?” _

_ “I’m trying to save up for college if you need to know,” he replies crossly. “Some of us want to get out of Nockfell and our parents can only pay for so much. So I want some money of my own for while I’m there. I don’t want to be a leech.” His last sentence is said with malice as he looks at his older brother. _

_ “Didn’t you just get into Yale with practically a full scholarship? Why are you so worried all the time?” _

_ “That doesn’t mean I can slack off. Just grab your keys so we can go. It’s a short shift. I don’t care what you do while I’m working,” Neil says, grabbing his stuff. “But if you need the car so badly that I can’t drive it to work, then you need to help me out.” _

_ Daniel grumbles but stops arguing. The two of them head out and quickly reach Neil’s workplace, a small diner in town. It’s not the most glamorous job, but the tips are good and it’s one of the only places in town he can really have the flexible hours he needs and still make some decent money to store away for college. _

_ The older boy drives off, leaving him in the dust as he goes off to some party. Neil can’t stand it that his brother is like this, but intervening is out of the question. No good can come from getting involved with all that, and as harsh as it might sound, getting caught and having to serve time might be the only way for Daniel to see the light. Those dark thoughts dwell on the back of his mind as he works that night and his tips reflect his distracted state. He can’t help it though, his brother’s words just rub him in the wrong direction. _

***

“What do you want?” Neil asks harshly when he picks up the phone.

_ “Am I not allowed to call now?”  _ Daniel replies sweetly.

“No. Not after what happened you’re not,” Neil says. He’s pacing around the room, at least as much as the cord of the phones allows him to. “You took everything else away. You aren’t allowed to interfere with camp too. I’m away from you.”

_ “Mom and Dad miss you,”  _ he replies, as if he wasn’t just insulted.  _ “They aren’t super mad anymore either. I think they want you to come home so they can talk.” _

“If they want to talk then they can call me themselves,” Neil replies. He lets out an audible sigh. “Why are you calling Daniel? What do you need?”

_ “I really just called to check on you little bro.” _

That’s the final straw, Neil hangs up the phone without another word.

***

“Alright everyone,” Rose says with a smile on her face. She glances around at all the teenagers sitting by the firepit then she looks to Neil who is by her side. “We’re going hiking today. There’s a secret cabin in the middle of the woods and we’re going to be the ones to find it!”

It’s the same spiel she’s given every year, but everyone is still excited at the prospect of going out on the hike. The old cabin is cool and there are lots of rumors that have come from it. “Now,” she continues, “most of you have been here for long enough to know the way but this year we have a special surprise. Due to the generosity of Father Phelps, we have made a few changes.” She looks to Neil and gives him a nod.

“I’ll be leading you on the hike and teaching you about the area,” the teen responds. “It’s a dangerous path with lots of bear traps in the woods, so you need to be aware of your surroundings. But once we get to the cabin there’s been an upgrade. We can now go into the cabin because it’s been converted into a puzzle room. And all of you will be competing to get out.”

There’s excited whispering amongst the campers before Rose holds her hand up to get everyone’s attention. “All of you will be split up into groups of three to take on the puzzle room, so group up now.”

Long time friends instantly turn to each other and Sal lets out a small sigh. He doesn’t even bother trying to find people to join. There’s no competing with long time friends like this. So he’s content to just wait and fill in the remaining spaces. He’s lucky enough that the camp has pretty much the perfect number of people so no one will be left out. At least, that’s the plan. But then Larry swings an arm around his shoulders. “So we’re working together Sal.”

“We are?” Sal asks, shocked.

“Well yea. You’re part of the group now,” Larry nods resolutely. Ash comes over and smiles. “Plus, you seem smart. You always look like you’re thinking. We’re gonna need that if we want to beat Todd. That kid is a genius.”

“Why not pair with him?”

“Oh Todd refuses to pair with us if it’s something that requires intelligence,” Ash laughs. “He says that Larry makes him lose brain cells.”

“He’s an asshole.”

Sal chuckles a little. “I’m not that smart, but I like playing puzzle games.”

“You’re the perfect addition then!”

Larry gives the middle finger to where Todd is standing, blushing, next to Neil and Meghan. Then he pulls Sal in close and the blue haired boy can feel his heart leap into his throat at the contact. Damn his crush. At least his prosthetic is good for covering up when he gets flustered.

The group set off on their hike with Neil in the lead. Despite the fact that he’s a camper just like the rest of him, Rose has pretty much unofficially made him into her assistant counselor. It helps take some of the strain off of her since she doesn’t have any other help. Plus, Neil fills the part suspiciously well. He rattles off facts about the area and answers any questions. Mostly it’s just Todd asking things that he probably already knows, and occasionally a couple of the others dare to speak up as well. Still, Neil answers every question with a smile on his kind face.

Sal can feel the sweat dripping down his prosthetic and longs to take it off and just relax for a moment. The heat is doing him no favors right now. He lags behind the rest along with Chug, who also seems to be tormented by this activity. “Think we can take a break soon?” Sal asks, panting slightly.

“I’m tapping out,” Chug replies, flopping down on a log. Sal sits down next to him and they both take swigs from their water bottles. “I hate hiking day. But the puzzle room seems cool. It’s like a mystery. Maybe we’ll find treasure.”

“I’ve never even heard of anything like this,” Sal replies.

The two sit chatting for several minutes before Neil comes jogging up to them, looking panicked. “There you two are. We thought something happened to you.”

Sal blushes, “S-Sorry. We both got tired. I, uh, can’t do much without overheating.” He gestures to his prosthetic. He’s also wearing long sleeves that only add to the heat exhaustion he’s feeling.

“You know I hate hiking,” Chug adds in.

“Next time just let someone know,” Neil sighs. “This area can be really dangerous if you wander off. Like I said, there are traps all around to catch animals and if you were to step on one it could crush your ankle.”

The two shudder at that. “Why keep them if they’re so dangerous?”

“I’ve heard there have been numerous animal sightings in the area. It’s for our protection. Now c’mon,” he urges. “We’re not too far from the house.” He holds out his hands and pulls both of them up. They start moving at a slow pace up the hill. “The first two groups have already gone and the third one is in now. It’s time based and the winners get prizes. So try your best ok.”

Both boys nod.

When they reach the rest of the group, Maple and a younger girl named Soda are just getting ready to go in. Chug hurries over to them and apologizes for being late. Then Rose is ushering them into the dilapidated shack. Sal wanders over to where Ash and Larry are standing. “Dude, where were you?”

“Chug and I took a break,” Sal explains. He tugs at his hair a little.

“Hey now, don’t pull your hair. That’s how you mess it up,” Larry says, moving to untangle his hands. “Much better.”

“Oh my God Larry. Be more obvious,” Ash sighs. Sal just looks confused as Larry blushes and stutters out some nonsense. It makes things a little awkward, but they don’t have to dwell on that for too long because soon enough it’s their turn. 

They enter the cabin and look around the small room. It looks like just a regular old cabin, except there are some locked boxes inside. Apparently there are clues in the three boxes that will lead them to a key hidden somewhere in the room. Larry looks completely lost and mostly just turns in overwhelmed circles. Ash is at least making an effort to try to solve one of the puzzles sitting on the table. And Sal gathers info and quickly solves two of the puzzles, obtaining the first key.

“Holy shit bro,” Larry gasps as they get the first chest open. Inside is another puzzle that will hopefully lead them to the next key.

While Sal attempts to solve the puzzle, Larry wanders around the room, picking up various things and inspecting them. He’s pretty sure he’s not being any help at all, but he kinda knew that going into this. Puzzles have never been his strong suit. He studies a row of books curiously before picking one up. “There’s a Bible in here,” he comments.

“Yea, and there’s a cross on the floor over there,” Ash replies. “Leave them alone and come help us.”

“Fine,” he groans, putting the Bible back where he found it.

“This is hard,” Sal mutters as he tries to make sense of all the colored dice surrounding him. “I think…” He trails off, unsure of what he’s actually thinking about all of this. “Uh, I think we need to look under the rug.” He isn’t really sure what leads him to this conclusion based on some colorful dice, but some sort of gut feeling tells him that’s what they need to do.

Larry jumps to do as he asked and find a key sitting there. “Shit. Sal, man, we could actually beat the brainiacs.” Larry grabs the key and tries it on both chests with no success.

They all look around confused for a moment before Ash says: “Hey, what about that cabinet?” all three of them look up and see a large wooden cabinet that also has a lock on it. “Rose must have forgotten to tell us about that when she was explaining the rules.”

“Or it’s a secret because our Sal is so smart!” Larry grins. He hurries over and jams the key into the lock, turning it without any resistance. It clinks to the ground and he pulls opens the shutters before letting out a scream. “Holy fuck!”

The screams of Ash and Larry alert Neil who bursts through the front door of the cabin, his eyes widening in shock as he takes in what’s in the cabinet. Snapping into action, he pulls the group out of the room, but not before Ash quickly snaps a picture of the gore. Once outside, Larry promptly leaves to go vomit into the grass as Ash collapses onto the ground. She brings her camera up again, looking around like she’s being watched. The only one who doesn’t seem utterly distraught is Sal, who just continues to stare. Then again, it’s hard to tell what he’s really feeling with the prosthetic blocking out everything but his eyes. He’s probably just shell-shocked.

Neil shuts the door and leans against it. “We need to cut the competition short. Meghan, can you please lead everyone back to camp?” The girl nods and everyone starts to follow her except Todd and the three who saw what was in the cabinet.

“What happened?” Rose asks, looking mortified.

“There was a deer in there,” Sal whispers. Once his trance is finally broken, words flood out of his mouth, as if he is unable to stop them. “It was all cut up. It was mutilated. I… I think it had something carved into it. Symbols maybe. I dunno. I'm not sure what I saw. It wasn’t right.” His hands come up and begin to tug on his hair anxiously, except this time Larry is a little too busy to stop him. 

Said brunette lets out a whine and heaves again miserably. Ash lurches over to him and helps keep his hair back and support him so he doesn’t collapse into his own vomit. It’s a sorry sight.

Rose opens the door and gasps before shutting it again. “Who could have done this? It was fine for all the other groups. That cabinet wasn’t even part of the game. It was locked and I couldn’t find a key for it.” She pauses. “It doesn’t matter. Let’s get all of you back to camp. The nurse will check you out.”

They all trek back to the camp and Larry is promptly taken to the nurse to make sure there’s not something actually wrong with him. It’s just stress though. The stress of seeing that dismembered deer takes it toll on all of them and they head back to the cabins to rest. Ash doesn’t want to go alone, so she goes with the boys and stays in there. Rose isn’t going to call her on it after what she witnessed. 

She actually ends up curling up with Larry, the two friends holding each other close as they both try to recover from what they saw. She is clutching her camera close, occasionally bringing it up to take pictures of the scenery outside their windows. Todd and Neil are talking lowly, the redhead theorizing about how this could possibly be connected to the cult. Sal eventually wanders over to them, recounting what happened inside that room. He’s still in some shock from it all, but has at least recovered enough to try to help the redhead figure this out. He was invited to help with this thing and he’s going to do everything in his power to do just that. He wasn’t kidding when he told Larry he was into this stuff, no matter how horrifying.

***

_ Neil thought he would leave work, get picked up by his older brother, and head home for another night of studying. But instead, he finds himself sitting in an empty cell as he waits for his parents to show up. The memories of earlier in the night still play clearly in his mind: the cops pulling them over for speeding and Daniel trying to come up with some sort of excuse to not get more points on his license. It’s no secret that he’s getting close to losing it if he doesn’t shape up. The officer seems to not believe him one bit but is humoring him for some reason. _

_ Then he spots the baggie. _

_ Apparently Daniel didn’t think that anyone would pull him over or pay any mind to the messy inside of the brothers’ shared car. So he didn’t exactly hide the white powder that well. The cop spots it and instantly has questions. Daniel’s face pales as things take a far more serious turn. If things continue as they are, he’s going to get arrested and actually go to jail. There’s no way to talk himself out of a possession charge and he’s run all out of warnings. As the cop asks who the powder belongs to, without even thinking, Daniel points to his younger brother. “It’s his,” echoes into the quiet tension of the car. “I told him to quit that stuff.” _

_ “Is this true?” the officer asks. _

_ Neil can only nod, unsure of why he’s going along with this. He wants his brother to stop, but when the shit finally hits the fan he backs him up and covers for him. It makes no sense. Not that he has time to dwell on his actions as he’s being asked to get out of the car and escorted to the cop car. It all feels so surreal in his mind that he just blindly listens to what he’s being told. He arrives at the station and makes his one phone call, still not ratting his older brother out. Everything happens as if he’s in a bubble and he knows that this decision will be with him for the rest of his life. He says goodbye to Yale and any other Ivy League schools. No one is going to want him now. _

***

“So all of you really snuck out last night,” Neil comments as the group push around their dinner that night. He decided to join them, mostly because he needs to ask them a few more questions. Although he, Todd, and Sal talked some things over earlier in the day, he still has more he wants to know.

“That depends if you’re going to tell or not,” Larry replies. He tries to sound menacing, but he still looks sick to his stomach so his words fall flat. He isn’t aware that Neil already knows the truth, so his threats really mean nothing.

“I’m not telling anyone,” Neil replies. “There’s something going on here.”

“Did you see something else?” Todd asks.

Neil nods. “There was something else in the cabinet. I went back with Rose later to check things out and help her clean it up and saw it.” Everyone at the table snaps to attention at that. “There was a mask. It looked like the skull of a dog. I didn’t get to look for long though because Rose quickly ushered me back out of the room, saying that it was a mistake to ask for my help and that it was unsanitary. Then we went back to call animal control. But it confirms the cult activity you told me about Todd.” He’s referencing a talk they had long before camp started when Todd was rambling to him one evening about all the supernatural occurrences and rumors in Nockfell. Personally, Neil finds it incredibly endearing. It’s nice to meet someone who is so passionate about their interests as well as so undeniably intelligent.

“Did it look big enough to be worn?” Larry asks. 

“Definitely.”

Larry leans in close to whisper conspiratorially, “When we snuck out the other night I went to smoke. I was pretty deep in the woods and I bumped into this… person. He was in robes and wore a dog skull on his head. It was eerie as shit and the guy had a knife. I high tailed it out of there. Barely got away and if I hadn’t, he would have stabbed me or taken me. I’m sure of it.”

“When are you going out next?” Neil asks.

“Are you going to come?” Todd asks hopefully. He tries to mask his excitement with a cough but everyone at the table can tell.

“Yes.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you all enjoyed!! Who do you think put that deer head in there?? Any guesses on who is in the cult??


	5. Into The Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Travis is a bully, Ash is a good wingwoman, and things in the woods aren't as they would seem.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter warnings: Homophobic slurs, mentions of abuse.

The incident with the deer shakes everyone up, even moreso when animal control, as well as the police have to be called in to investigate. Fortunately, aside from some minor questioning, the campers and Rose are all deemed innocent so they are released to do as they please as long as they keep out of the way of the officers. Rose announces that while the investigation is ongoing, they will be putting off any exploration into the woods and instead will enjoy a nice dip in Wendigo Lake. This helps to break the tension and all the campers hurry to change and grab their swim gear.

“Can you even swim with that…  _ thing _ ?” Travis asks, disgust clear in his tone. He’s cornered Sal a little ways away from the bunks.

“I don’t think that’s any of your business,” Sal replies, trying to hide his discomfort at being alone with the bully. He doesn’t like to judge people based on the words of others, but so far Travis has done nothing to make him question any of the things he’s been told. Plus, after hearing how often him and Larry have gotten into fist fights, he really doesn’t want to be alone with the bully. Sure, Sal has picked up some self defense over the years, but he still recognizes that he’s 5’2” and 100 pounds soaking wet. And besides, maybe he just wants one of his new friends to swoop in and save the day. Maybe he wants someone to stand up for him for once. What a concept. “Now can you please move. I’d like to get ready to go out with everyone else.”

“Why should I listen to you? You’re a newbie and a freak. No one even knows you,” the blonde snaps. He makes no move to get out of the way.

“And no one seems to like you,” Sal retorts. It occurs to him that maybe he shouldn’t be egging a known bully on, but for some reason being insulted by this guy rubs him the wrong way. He knows he’s the new kid on the block. He knows that he’s strange. But what right does Travis have to talk down to him just because he hasn’t spent as many years here as everyone else.

Travis bristles then shoves the smaller boy. Hard. Sal stumbles back and loses his balance, landing directly on his ass. It doesn’t hurt, at least not that badly, but it still startles him and he feels his one eye tear up just a little from the shock. “You’re a freak. Probably a faggot just like everyone you hang out with. Especially Larry. He ask you to blow him yet? I’m sure he’d love a piece of the new kid’s ass.”

“Fuck off,” Sal says. He knows his position is precarious but he doesn’t want to back down. He’s tired of bullies ruining his life just because of the way he looks or assuming (correctly) his sexual orientation. He’s so tired of it and refuses to take it lying down.

“Why should I faggot?” Travis sneers. He moves to step closer to Sal but then Larry himself shows up like the knight in shining armor he wants to be.

“You kiss your Daddy with that mouth Travis?” Larry asks. He’s already changed to go swimming and has on red trunks and nothing else. His tan skin is a sight to behold and his hair is up in a high ponytail to keep it from becoming even more of a wreck than it usually is. He crosses his arms over his chest. “Oh wait, your Dad only gets near you when he needs someone to take his anger out on.”

If looks could kill then Larry would surely be six feet under by now. Somehow he doesn’t seem bothered by this though and keeps staring the blonde down. It only further shows just how much distasteful history lingers between the two. “At least I still have a Father Johnson. Mine didn’t leave me,” he bites back. And that comment definitely strikes a chord in Larry as the brunette tenses.

“I’m not playing your games Phelps,” Larry replies. He offers a hand and pulls Sal up the moment he takes it. “Leave Sal alone. He didn’t do anything to you. If you come near him again, I’ll knock your teeth out. Consider this your only warning.” Then he stalks away, pulling Sal by the hand. His grip is tight, almost painful, but the blue haired boy isn’t going to complain right now, especially since Larry probably just saved him from getting punched.

“Thanks,” he says once they’re finally out of sight. “You didn’t have to do that.”

“No one deserves his shit. Especially not someone as cool as you Sally Face,” he replies, using the nickname that Sal told him. It brings a smile to his twisted lips, not that the taller boy can see it. Though his eyes always crinkle when he smiles so he hopes that that’s noticeable enough. “I didn’t hear everything he said, but you’re not a freak. You have a story and there’s nothing wrong with that. And that other thing. Look. I dunno what you identify as but it doesn’t matter to any of us ok. I know it’s not a thing people really talk about, but you don’t have to be worried about that shit with us. We like you little dude, no matter which gender you prefer to date.”

“Thanks Larry Face. I like you guys too,” he says. The smile is still on his face, now accompanied by a blush. He isn’t sure about the nickname, but in the moment it felt right so he went with it.

“Larry Face huh. I like it. We sound like a dream team,” Larry laughs. He gives a squeeze to the hand in his and shows off his gap toothed smile that makes Sal feel weak in the knees. Sal squeezes back and somehow knows that he made the right choice talking to Larry that first night despite the awkwardness of their initial meeting.

They arrive at the cabin and Todd shoots them a knowing look. “Do I even want to know?” he asks, his gaze going directly to their still joined hands.

That breaks Sal out of his reverie and he drops his hand as Larry laughs. “What, two bros can’t hold hands.”

Todd only raises an eyebrow, giving his friend a knowing look. “If you say so Larry.”

“Go get changed Sal,” Larry says, giving him a little push. Once the boy enters the cabin he turns to Todd with a pleading look on his face. “Dude. You gotta help me figure out if he’s gay or not. Wingman me. I heard Travis say shit to him and he didn’t deny it. He didn’t confirm it either but we were just holding hands and I told him that stuff doesn’t matter to any of us.”

“You better not just be out to fuck him Larry,” the redhead says, looking deadly serious. He knows the record his friend has. He’s heard the rumors circulating about what happens at those parties and Neil has told him a few choice things as well. “We like Sal. Don’t let your dick think for you.”

“I’m not,” Larry replies. “I wouldn’t do that to someone in the group.”

“He’s in the group now?”

“Hell yea. He came out ghost hunting with us. He’s as much a part as anyone else,” Larry says instantly. “I dunno man, something just feels different about him. He feels like he belongs with us. I wish I had known him sooner.”

Todd eyes him again and looks like he might say something but stops himself when Sal comes back out of the cabin. “I’m ready,” he says with a smile that crinkles his eyes adorably. He’s wearing an underarmour shirt with long sleeves and swim trunks that have the Ghostbusters logo all over them. His prosthetic is still firmly in place with the pigtails helping further secure it. He looks cute and Larry instantly blushes.

There’s the tell-tale click of a camera as Ash pops out. “Holy shit you guys are priceless.” She grins as she clutches the camera. “I can’t wait to add that one to the summer scrapbook.”

“Ashhhh,” Larry whines. “At least let me pose all sexy for your photos.” She brings the camera up for a brief moment, as if she’s going to take another picture of him, but then lowers it again. 

“Nah,” Ash laughs. Then an idea seems to come to her. “Hey. Let’s all get a photo together. Larry, take the camera and hold it out. You better not aim it over our heads like you did last time.”

Larry flips her off but does as he’s asked. They snap a photo and she quickly grabs the camera back. It’s like a lifeline to her and she’s never seen without it. “Alright boys. Let’s go swimming!”

The group take off running down the hill until they see Wendigo Lake come into view. Ash veers off to set the camera down where it will be safe but Larry rushes right off the pier, jumping into the water with a huge splash. Neil is already there so Todd wastes no time getting into the water as well, his white shirt instantly soaked and semi see through. Sal hesitates though. He knows it should be ok for him to go into the water, but it still makes him nervous. He swallows down his fear though and hurries in with his new friends. This is what he’s always wanted, and he’ll be damned if he isn’t going to enjoy every second of it.

***

At first the group is left to swim freely in the water and just do as they wish, but eventually Rose decides it’s time to have an organized activity and starts leading different games with them. They play sharks and minnows, red light green light, and even grab water guns for a ferocious battle. It’s a blast and all of them are able to forget the horror they witnessed that morning. Chug is mysteriously absent from the water sports but that fact is only belatedly noticed by the group later on.

The entire afternoon, Larry keeps protective watch over Sal. It makes the smaller boy blush beneath his prosthetic but also makes him feel so incredibly happy. He’s also happy to note that Travis is in fact keeping his distance. The boy is glaring daggers at all of them but he doesn’t make any comments or even interact with them during the games. As the afternoon drags into evening, Rose ushers them all out of the water for an evening cookout.

“I gotta go clean my prosthetic,” Sal mutters to his friends.

“Do you want someone to come with you?” Larry asks quickly.

“N-No. No. I need to do it myself,” Sal replies, instantly nervous about the idea of someone seeing him without his prosthetic on. It’s the one thing that always turns him into a nervous, stuttering mess.

Larry seems to realize his mistake because he quickly back tracks. “Shit man. No. I just meant to keep look out. I don’t want Travis to mess with you.”

“Oh…”

“It would be best to take someone with you Sal,” Todd comments. He’s towel drying his hair with Neil standing a little closer than just a friend would. Despite still being a bit annoyed at Larry, he’s still going to try to help the two of them. Afterall, Larry has helped him out a lot in his own struggles to figure out if him and Neil are even a possibility. “Travis tends to keep going back for the same person and he already seems to have picked you as a target. If he sees you go off on your own, he isn’t going to keep his distance. At least if you have Larry with you it will help deter him.”

“Promise you won’t look?” Sal asks, deadly serious. There’s an intense look in his brilliant blue eyes.

“Swear on Todd’s life.”

Neil bursts out laughing at that and pulls the annoyed looking redhead in for a side hug. “At least you know he won’t peek. He wouldn’t give up Todd’s life like that. Who would tutor him?”

And so Sal and Larry trek towards the medical cabin. The nurse is sitting at a desk reading some sort of trashy romance novel. She looks up, but upon seeing that it’s just Sal, she goes back to reading and let’s him work in peace. “Don’t look unless it’s a life or death situation,” Sal says.

“I promise I won’t Sally Face. But I bet you look metal under there,” Larry says with a smile. It makes him feel a little better, but not enough to actually show what he’s hiding.

“I assure you I don’t but I appreciate the sentiment.”

He goes and makes quick work of cleaning his face and disinfecting everything. Swimming in the pond still makes him extremely nervous, even though the doctors have assured him that as long as he washes up afterwards he’ll be fine. He figures this probably means no late night skinny dipping though, because sneaking in here after lights out would probably be difficult. He wouldn’t want to risk his new friends getting caught just because of his weird medical needs.

Once he’s finished, he slips the prosthetic back on, wishes the nurse a good night, and meets up with Larry out front. “Ready for dinner?” Sal asks.

“One sec and then I’m ready,” Larry says. He pulls out a joint and lights up, inhaling deeply. “Makes the food taste better,” he explains with a conspiratorial wink. He takes another hit and holds it out to the shorter boy. “Want a hit?”

He hesitates before taking the joint and turning away so he can lift his mask and take a hit. The smoke burns his lungs but he feels his anxieties start to melt away. By the second hit he’s feeling a lot better. He tugs his mask down and turns around before exhaling the smoke out through the eyeholes. Larry’s eyes widen. “Holy fuck dude. That’s fucking metal.” He takes the joint and finishes it off. “Has anyone ever told you you’re cool?”

“No?”

“Well I’m telling you right now, you’re cool little dude.”

Sal blushes absolutely crimson.

***

That night they all gather in a little clearing just down the path from the cabins. Neil shows up as promised, as well as the usual crew and Sal. Todd has the walkie talkies in hand and this time they’re hell bent on making some actual progress in their investigation. The run in Larry had with the dog mask has left all of them with more questions than answers.

“I can’t believe I’m fifth wheel,” Ash mutters as they all sit around a small lantern.

“Wh-What?” Todd and Larry both stutter in shock.

She shoots both of them a look but doesn’t comment. Honestly, their seating arrangement really says it all. Larry has an arm protectively around Sal’s shoulders and Neil and Todd are basically breathing the same air with how close they’re sitting. It’s way more than just friendly behavior and she’s about ready to yell at all four of them to just get it on with. But then they wouldn’t be able to go out tonight and that would be even more of the problem.

“So,” Todd says once he regains his composure. “We need to check out a few key areas tonight. The first is the area that Larry ran into the dog mask. Do you think you can find that area again?” Larry nods. “Ok. So Larry will go there. Next is the cabin where we had the room escape challenge. Something happened there. The police have since cleared out and given us the okay to hike in the woods, but there’s a possibility we can still find clues there. It’s a weak lead, but we still need to check it. How do you feel about going up there Ash?” She nods as well. “Good. The last is a hike. It’s the far side of Wendigo Lake. The area is littered with traps so Neil, I was hoping we could go there.”

“I’m the only one who can make that hike. I’ll take you out there,” Neil says with his award winning smile. He puts a hand on the redhead’s shoulder and gives a squeeze. “I’ll keep you safe.”

Todd smiles and immediately the two of them begin to chat, only to get drawn back to reality when Sal raises his hand. “Yes Sal. Do you have a question?” Todd asks, unsure why he’s acting like he’s in a school lesson.

“Uh, you didn’t say where I should go.”

“I didn’t want to make any judgments on where you would prefer since you’re new to this. So would you rather go with Ash or Larry?” Todd asks.

“Go with Larry. He’s more likely to have a lead,” Ash says. “I’ll rendezvous with you guys when I’m finished with the cabin since you’ll be closer.”

“Sounds good Ash,” Larry nods. “You got the walkie talkies Todd?”

The redhead nods and hands one out to each of them. “They should span the entire campsite so even on the other side of the lake we should have no issues contacting you all. If anything goes wrong call us immediately. If you see anything weird let us know as well.”

“This is serious,” Sal mutters.

“Nockfell has a long history of supernatural and occult occurrences,” Todd explains, finally realizing that the newest member of their group probably has only a limited knowledge of all the things he has been tirelessly researching over the years. Despite Sal saying he’s interested in all this and likes ghost hunting a lot, Todd has never gotten a chance to fully explain the things he knows about this place. “And this area of the town is rumored to be a hot spot of activity and possibly where a cult gathers. We don’t know a lot about it but we’re trying to uncover everything we can while we’re out here this summer.”

“I might have something that can help,” Sal replies. He pulls out a janky looking Gearboy that seems to have modifications on it. “Uh, it’s not the best, but I found this game once and it… changes things. I don’t really know how to explain it but I’m sure it’s supernatural.” He looks around and sees that everyone is staring at him, seemingly taking him seriously. “It doesn’t work perfectly because I’m not that good with technology but sometimes it can pick up some pretty weird things. I used it at the apartments and saw some stuff.”

“At Addison Apartments?” Larry asks.

Sal nods. “I went up to the fifth floor one day because I heard something above me and I could hear crying. Someone was with me and he seemed sad. I talked to him a couple times using this.” He holds up his Gearboy for emphasis.

“I’m not surprised,” Todd says with a nod of his own. “The apartments also seem to be a hot spot in this town. I’ve been testing some of my own creations there with varying success. And I too have had a few encounters with a sad spirit. I’d be interested in taking a look at that tomorrow when we have free time. Maybe I can help it work better. You seem to have a good start on it.”

“Sure,” Sal nods. “Anything to make it work better.”

“Alright. Let’s get a move on then.”

***

Ash fights her way through the underbrush to take a shortcut back up to the cabin from the morning. She didn’t really want to go by herself, but she can see how far gone her friend is on Sal and she wants to do what she can to help. The brunette is her best friend and it’s nice to see him go after someone in a healthy way for once. She hopes that maybe the two of them will be able to bond more tonight. Maybe he will even stop being a weeny for a night and actually make a real move. The same thing can be said for Todd and Neil. Really, all of her friends are completely clueless when it comes to crushes and she seems to be the only one with half a brain cell if her girlfriend is any indication.

It isn’t something she talks about a lot because of the stigma surrounding same sex relationships, but she loves the girl she’s with with all her heart and wouldn’t trade her for anyone else in the world. So far Larry is the only one in their group that knows, just because she prefers her privacy. And Larry only knows because he walked in on the two of them before they could stop making out. That led to one hell of an awkward conversation between the two. It also led to Larry claiming Todd owes him money and she had to swear him to secrecy until she’s ready to fully come out. He agreed without fuss though and the awkward encounter has only made them closer.

It’s not like she’s afraid of what her friends would think of her for being a lesbian. Hell, it’s not like all of them aren’t gay or at least bisexual. But something about it still makes her uneasy and she just needs a little more time before she’s ready to truly be out. Plus, her girlfriend is still very much in the closet as well, so hiding it is second nature to them. One day though, she can’t wait to introduce Alicia to them.

She finally arrives at the cabin and sees there’s still some caution tape surrounding it. It unsettles her a little, but it makes sense that they wouldn’t have entirely cleaned up and despite having investigated it, they probably still don’t want people to go inside for a long while. In all honesty, she doesn’t really want to go inside. But she isn’t about to be the weak link in their party. That’s definitely Larry’s job. He does a good job hiding it, probably to act tough for Sal, but they all know he’s scared shitless of ghosts.

She takes a calming breath before ducking under the tape and cautiously entering the one room cabin. She scans the room and it looks pretty ransacked. The bloody deer is notably gone but the stains still remain. It makes her shiver just thinking back on the sight.

Ash pulls out her camera and begins snapping pictures, taking out each photo and setting them aside while they develop. She made sure to bring both her instant camera and a second one that she will need to get developed because she wants one dedicated to taking actual memories from this summer instead of just ghost hunting.

Once she is happy with the amount of photos she’s taken, she gathers them up and puts them in her satchel. Then she pulls out the walkie talkie. “Larry, Sal, I’ll be heading your way soon,” she says. Her voice sounds strange to her own ears in the quiet of the room and she shivers. The temperature feels like it just dropped too which adds to the unsettling atmosphere.

“I gotta get out of here,” she whispers to herself. She turns to leave and her heart nearly stops as she sees the figure of a boy standing in the cabin with her. “You’re not real,” she says, pulling out her camera and bringing it up to look through the viewfinder. Sure enough, the figure is suddenly gone from her sight. She lets out a deep sigh and lowers the camera, alone again.

That experience is enough to get her moving and she pushes out of the cabin, not bothering to look behind her. She knows exactly what she will see back there and her heart can’t take another run in with the apparition so soon. Instead, she’ll go meet up with the love birds and see if they’ve discovered anything.

Part of her feels bad at the thought of ruining their alone time, but she really can’t keep doing this on her own. She should have tried to talk Maple into joining her. The goth girl is always so calm and collected and would have helped to keep her grounded. But it doesn’t matter now. She just needs to make her way to where the boys are. If they actually respond that is. There’s been radio silence since she messaged them.

“Larry? Sal?” she asks again into the radio.

The walkie talkie crackles and she can hear Todd’s voice faintly on the other end. “...cabin As-... blems out…” 

“Todd?” she asks, getting worried. They’ve tested these walkie talkies out many times and there should be no problems communicating on them so for things to be fuzzy now doesn’t seem right. “Todd, what’s going on? Where are Larry and Sal?”

“Go… on’t co…” it crackles again.

Something is seriously wrong. The problem is, she has no idea where Larry and Sal went because only Larry knows the area where he saw the robed figure. She has no way to find them unless she wanders the woods and happens upon them by chance. As for Todd and Neil, they took a treacherous path since that area isn’t technically part of the campgrounds. Her chances of getting caught in a trap are far too high for her liking. Plus, the walkie talkies seem to be on the fritz and practically unusable. She can’t risk it without a reliable way to communicate. So she makes her way back to the boys cabin and sits out back. She takes the time to study each of the pictures she took but nothing seems to be out of place. Just photos of what is now only a horrific memory. It helps her kill time though as she waits for her friends to return. She promises herself if they aren’t back soon, she’ll take action. Even if it gets them in trouble, Their safety is worth more than this mission.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys so much for reading!! I'm sorry it took so long to update, but never fear, the story itself is actually finished!! I wrote the entire story out last year and all I have to do is edit and post. So I promise this won't be dropped.


	6. Dead of Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There are many revelations to be had in the middle of the night. Todd and Neil have a terrifying run in while Sal starts to question the history of the camp. No one seems to want to talk about the bad things and he wonders if there's more to the camp than the stories he's been told.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Long time no post!! I'm sorry it takes me so long to update. The good news is: the story itself is finished. So there's no chance of me dropping this because I have all of the chapters written. All they need is to be proof read and posted. You comments keep me going though and I really appreciate each and every one of you that read my story.

Todd and Neil set out for the long trek to the other side of the lake. It’s a dangerous walk even in the daylight, so the two of them have to be even more careful now that they are only lit by the moon and stars above them. “So what do you think is out here?” Neil asks to break the silence as they walk. He’s standing closer than necessary to the redhead, partially to protect him and partially because he wants to be close... not that he really knows how to admit that. He’s known the shorter boy is gay for awhile now because drunk Larry doesn’t have much of a filter, but he also knows that Todd is interested in someone, and even a plastered Larry wouldn’t say who. He’s a little ashamed to admit he tried to get it out of him on more than one occasion. But sue a guy for wanting to know who his competition is.

Neil desperately wants to think that someone might be him, but he can’t be too sure because Todd isn’t exactly the affectionate type and mostly treats everyone around him the exact same. Maybe a little more disdain for Larry, but their relationship has been like this for awhile. He isn’t sure what caused the strain in their friendship, but he has a feeling it has something to do with the brunette’s partying habits. Although Todd doesn’t shy away from alcohol or pot, he also strongly believes in moderation, something Larry seems to have no concept of.

“We’ve always been warned away from the far side of the lake,” Todd explains. “Usually that means there’s something someone doesn’t want us to see. And it seems like the most likely place for a cult to meet.”

“Do you think there’s really a cult in Nockfell?”

“Undoubtedly,” Todd nods. “I’ve been doing a lot of research into the subject and although there isn’t a lot, the holes in our town’s history make it more suspicious. The way the area was colonized seems suspect too. It sounds like there has always been a large religious draw to the place, but a more fanatical branch than any I’ve heard of before.”

“Fanatical is one thing, but do you think that same church is also the cult?” Neil continues to question. He doesn’t feel too sure about all this. He wants to believe but it’s hard to accept that the town he grew up in isn’t what he always knew.

“I don’t believe it’s the entire church,” the redhead says. He pauses so they can climb a particularly treacherous area, with Neil literally giving him a helping hand when he starts to struggle. Athletics have never been his strong suit. “I think it’s a particular part of the church. It doesn’t seem like everyone is involved and I don’t think the sermons are anything suspicious though there is probably some form of brainwashing going on or some other sort of way for them to determine who would be a good future member.”

“You’ve done a lot of research into this.”

“Everyone needs a hobby,” Todd shrugs. He pushes his glasses up and points the flashlight off to the side. “Did you see something over there?”

Neil shines his beam over there as well before shaking his head. “No, sorry.”

“Hmm. It was probably nothing.”

The two of them resume walking. Todd scans the trees around them to see where they’re going while Neil watches the ground to make sure it’s safe for them to keep walking. This is definitely a two man job and even then it’s perilous. One wrong move and they could get seriously injured. The path itself is overgrown and there are traps in the surrounding area. Both boys are glad that they are the ones to take on this area as opposed to any of the others. Larry would undoubtedly end up injured if he were here.

The moon looks beautiful casting a dim light through the trees and both of them think how this could easily be a romantic walk in the woods if it weren’t for the perils around them. But neither of them actually voice their opinions on the subject without arising suspicion, so instead they just continue trekking forward. That is, until Neil catches sight of something. He isn’t even able to get words out and instead just grabs Todd and pulls the shorter boy flush against him.

“Neil?” he asks, clearly caught off guard at their closer than normal proximity. Especially given their rather cliche position with his back pulled flush to the taller boy’s chest.

Neil shines his flashlight down to where a bear trap is hidden beneath the overgrown brush. “You would have stepped right on it.”

“You just saved my life,” Todd whispers. The taller boy still hasn’t released him from against his chest but Todd isn’t going to complain.

“I only saved your ankle,” Neil replies. The smile is evident in his voice and he’s starting to feel flustered but he doesn’t want to let go. Something about this feels right and he wonders if this is finally his chance to make a move.

“Near death experiences usually are a clue that people should reveal things about themselves that they’ve kept secret,” Todd says after a short pause. “I’d like to tell you one of those things if you’re ok with it.”

“Sure,” Neil whispers back. Something about the moment feels sacred to them, like if he speaks normally the moment will be ruined and he’ll never get to hear what the boy has to say. So he keeps his voice soft and savors this moment of closeness. Maybe after Todd’s secret, he can share his own.

“I like you Neil.”

Silence rings out between them and even the bugs seem to tone down their dull chatter to make the moment more intense. Neil is honestly trying to process the words he just heard and Todd is filled with instant regret as he worries over speaking out of turn. He internally curses himself for giving into adrenaline filled desires.

“I like you too,” Neil finally replies. He fully wraps his arms around Todd and squeezes him tightly. “I like you a hell of a lot.”

“This is actually happening right?” Todd asks. “I didn’t step on the bear trap and pass out and dream all of this.”

Neil laughs softly. “No. This isn’t a dream.” He turns Todd around and gently bends down to press a kiss to his lips. When he pulls back he smiles warmly. “But if it is a dream, it’s a damn realistic one.”

“Prove it isn’t a dream. Do that again… for science.”

Neil isn’t one to argue and the two kiss again. The bear trap incident is suddenly forgotten as the two of them indulge in something they’ve both wanted to do for the longest time. This isn’t really the time or the place to be engaging in their fantasies but neither of them care. So they stand there in each other’s arms with their lips locked tight.

***

“I hate this,” Larry grumbles.

“I thought you liked hunting for ghosts and cults?” Sal asks from his side. The two of them have been walking for quite some time now as Larry tries to retrace his steps from that night. Apparently it’s easier said than done as they still haven’t found their destination even though they were originally the closest to it.

“I like adventures and exploring the woods,” Larry replies. He lets out a sigh and decides he might as well confess. “Look, I’m not even sure how much of this stuff I really believe if I’m being honest with you man. Like, how can ghosts possibly be real? Isn’t that the stuff they show on tv? And cults. Shit.”

“Ghosts are definitely real,” Sal replies resolutely. “I’ve seen them.”

“I don’t know if that makes me feel better or worse,” Larry confesses. “At least I didn’t have to go by myself. That would fucking suck.”

Sal, in the worst effort to lighten the mood, replies: “Maybe Ash was the lucky one. Maybe this is all part of my master plan and I’m a serial killer trying to get you alone so I can claim you as my victim.”

“Dude.”

Sal laughs and to Larry it sounds like angels singing. “Sorry sorry. I was kidding. I just wanted to lighten the mood.”

“You might wanna stick to your day job Sally Face,” Larry responds. “But… I guess it helped a little. Now if I can just find this damn place. I didn’t think it would be such an issue but fuck man.”

“I think I recognize that tree,” Sal says. “I saw it last time too. It has initials carved into it or something.”

Larry freezes for just a moment. “I-It does…?”

“Yea,” Sal smiles. He goes over to it carefully to look at the engraving. It looks like a heart with initials carved into it. The problem is, he can’t quite make out what they are because there’s a zig zag through the center of it. If he had to hazard a guess, he thinks that maybe the couple who originally carved it broke up and it probably wasn’t pleasant. He wonders if they still go to this camp. He can definitely tell there’s an L and a P, but the other two letters are a mystery to him. 

“C’mon Sal,” Larry says, grabbing his arm lightly. “You don’t need to concern yourself with that old thing.”

“Ah, sorry. I was just curious if I could tell who it was who did that,” Sal replies. He reaches out and touches the tree faintly before he allows Larry to pull him away. “I wonder if they still go to this camp together. No one here seems like they have romantic history together but it’s only been a few days and I’m still really new. Oh, and I kinda suck noticing that stuff.”

“Whether they’re here or not doesn’t really matter. The couple obviously broke up,” Larry says curtly.

“Ok. Sorry Larry Face.”

“It’s cool,” the brunette sighs. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you. I’m just stressed at trying to find this damn place.”

“We’ll find it. I know it,” Sal says. He offers a hidden smile up to his friend and gives his arm a little nudge. He puts the thoughts of the tree behind him. Because Larry is right, that stuff isn’t important right now. They should be focusing on finding where Larry got attacked.

Suddenly, there’s a rustling in the trees and both boys freeze.

“Did you hear that?” Sal whispers.

“I wish I hadn’t.”

“Who’s there!?”

“Why did you come back?” a voice asks from the cover of the trees. Both boys swing their flashlights around but they can’t locate anyone in the surrounding foliage. “Why didn’t you listen?”

“Who are you?” Sal dares to ask.

“That’s none of your concern,” the voice says, somehow coming from somewhere else. The two boys still can’t locate it. “All that matters is you leaving. I’ve warned you once. You won’t get a third warning.” Then there’s rustling in the distance.

“Come back!” Sal shouts. He swivels around a few more times trying to find any sign of the mysterious voice but eventually is forced to give up and turns to Larry. “What did he mean we won’t be warned a third time.”

Larry lets out a shaky sigh. “There was something I didn’t tell you guys about my attack in the woods.” He starts to walk a little further into the woods despite the fact that his hands are noticeably shaking from their most recent encounter. He doesn’t like any of this, not one bit. But he can’t turn back now. Something is going on here and he’s determined to figure it out. He’s determined to stop the events that he has so far been helpless to control.

“Larry Face hold on,” Sal says, hurrying to catch up with his friend. He reaches out to tentatively take one shaking hand in his own, effectively forcing the other boy to stop. “You’re shaking. Let’s just go back. I thought this was supposed to be fun. Sure, you guys are trying to solve the mystery, but what’s it matter if it’s going to upset you like this. And what were you told? What’s going on Larry?”

The taller of the two lets out a loud sigh. “Let’s not worry about it. C’mon, I think I know where we need to go. Just stick close to me and we’ll be in and out before you know it.”

“Larry…”

***

“We need to keep going,” Todd murmurs between sweet kisses with the dark skinned boy. “We came all the way out here.”

“We can always come back out tomorrow,” Neil says. He keeps pressing kisses to the other boy’s neck. He has no intention of continuing the search and would instead prefer to spend time getting to know the redhead on a physical level. He doesn’t want to be that kind of guy, but he’s also waited so long for this and wants to spend real time with Todd. The ghosts and cults can certainly wait one more night.

“Mmm,” Todd moans. He desperately claws at the other boy’s shirt.

“Let’s go back Todd,” Neil whispers sensually. There was always a reason he didn’t want to hook up with anyone at his brother’s parties. He always had his eye on one boy in particular and he can’t believe that his wish is finally coming true. He can’t believe that he is holding the redhead in his arms now and he has no intention of letting him go. Everything else can wait. This is how he wants his final summer to go.

“We need to call Ash,” Todd finally says. He pulls back just enough where he won’t be as distracted but still lets himself be held. “We need to let her know to go back.”

“Call her up,” Neil smiles.

Todd goes to pull out his walkie talkie when he hears a voice. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you. Stay very, very still.” Todd releases his grip on the walkie and darts his eyes around to try to pinpoint the voice. “Very good. I see you’re a listener. That’s going to make your life a lot easier. Now, tell me what you’re doing here.”

“We were looking for spots to hook up,” Neil responds. He tries to keep any signs of shakiness out of his voice. Whoever this person is, he doesn’t want them to know he’s scared. “Our friend is keeping look out for us. We need to let her know she can head back.”

“That sounds like a lie,” the voice says. A person in dark robes and the mask of a dog slowly comes into view. “Lying is a sin you know.”

“So is laying with another man. I don’t think either of us are too worried about sinning,” Neil replies. He tightens his hold on Todd, ready to push the shorter boy behind him if danger arises. He’s trained in self defense and he’s inclined to use it if threatened. “Why are you stalking us?”

“I have no reason to tell you that,” the masked figure replies. He continues approaching them, brandishing a knife. It glints menacingly in the moonlight and almost looks like it’s decorated in some strange fashion. There isn’t much time to stare at it because Neil suddenly pulls Todd and they take off running, the masked figure hot on their heels.

The walkie talkie at Todd’s hip crackles to life as Ashley speaks into it. He can mostly make out what she’s saying but that isn’t too important to him. All that matters is that he tells the group they need to get out of here. Something is horribly wrong. He pulls the walkie out as he runs and yells into it. “Get out of the cabin Ash! Problems out here!”

“Todd? Todd, what’s going on? Where are Larry and Sal?” Ash’s voice buzzes on the other side. 

“Go back! Don’t come out here!” Todd shouts again before he feels a sharp pain in his arm. He just barely keeps hold of the walkie talkie as Neil pulls him along. “Take a left Neil,” Todd says, hopefully only just loud enough for him to hear.

Neil gives a nod and the two of them swerve off the path. Then Todd takes the lead down a rocky slope that is barely used. It’s enough to get them out of sight though and they are able to duck into one of the abandoned cabins. Both of them are breathing hard, but when they hear the sounds of their pursuer, they hold their breaths. 

They wait quietly for several minutes before the sounds fade and only then do they relax. Todd lets out a shudder as the pain in his arm hits him full force. “Shit,” Neil gasps when he sees the cut. “You’re bleeding.”

“I’m ok. Just need to clean it when we get back,” Todd whispers back. “C’mon, we need to get back to the others. Larry and Sal never responded. What if something happened to them. And Ash didn’t seem to hear all of what I said.”

“Is there a problem with the walkies? Neil asks.

Todd shakes his head resolutely. “No. I tested them extensively before coming out here. They should have had no problems reaching this far. Something supernatural must have interfered with them. But we can’t worry about that now. We need to go back and tell the others.”

“And make sure they’re ok…”

The two share a quick kiss before venturing back out into the menacing woods. At least this time no one tries to attack them.

***

“Here’s the place,” Larry says when they finally arrive. It’s a completely nondescript clearing in the woods with nothing out of place. “Kinda disappointing to come back here. There’s nothing in sight.”

“Maybe the others have had more luck,” Sal replies. He absently fiddles with the walkie talkie, debating calling them up. It feels strange that he hasn’t heard anything on it. But maybe the others are just busy. He looks around and the place really is nondescript. There’s just tree after tree surrounding them and not even a single engraving to catch either of their eyes. 

“I guess,” he sighs. He looks over to Sal and sees the smaller boy fiddling with the walkie. “I’m surprised we haven’t heard from any of them. It shouldn’t have taken Ash this long to get to the cabin unless she ran into issues.”

“Maybe we really should just go back,” Sal suggests. He pulls out his Gearboy before booting it up, the screen glowing green. “I don’t think there’s anything around here that I’m going to pick up on either. No ghosts at least.”

“Lemme just look and see if that creepy cultist dropped anything when I ran into them,” Larry says. He scours the area as Sal walks around with his device. Both of them eventually coming up empty handed. It’s frustrating to say the least, but it beats something creepy happening again. Especially considering that Larry still hasn’t mentioned what the cultist said to him. That definitely has Sal worried. What if there are other things that he isn’t telling the group. As the anxieties swirl in his mind the words Travis said also bubble to the surface. Is Larry the kind of person to keep secrets from his friends? Is he the kind of person to sleep around for another notch on his belt? He barely knows this guy and as much as he wants to trust the brunette, years of bullying still haunt him.

“Hey Larry?” Sal asks tentatively.

“Mmm?” the older boy grunts to indicate he’s paying attention.

“Why does Travis seem to hate you guys so much?” he finally asks. It makes him nervous, but he really wants to know, especially since the bully seems to want to target him now. Maybe he can uncover some more about their past and ease his worries.

“He’s a prick,” Larry says. “His father is a pastor and their family is super religious. So the second he found out I was bisexual, he hated me with a passion. That’s the root of it at least. Why do you want to know more about him?”

Sal shrugs. “I guess to get an idea of why he automatically seems to hate me. I guess that makes sense though. It still sucks. He looks like he needs a friend.”

“If he wanted a friend he could be less of a dick and make one,” Larry replies with a bite. He looks up in time to see Sal flinch at his harsh words. He lets out a sigh and places what he hopes is a comforting hand on the boy’s shoulder. “Sorry. We just have a lot of history. I’m pretty bitter about how that dick acts. I didn’t mean to snap at you Sally Face.”

“S’ok,” Sal mumbles. “I think we’ve found everything we can here so maybe we should just head back. Besides, I have a bad feeling about not hearing from Ash or Todd.”

Larry nods and the two of them head back in the direction of the cabins. He picks up the pace when they pass the tree with the carving on it and Sal continues to wonder what it could possibly mean. There seems to be a lot of history at this camp and he feels out of place not knowing even a sliver of it. Sure, some of his new friends have told him old stories from years past, but all of those seem to be the good memories. None of them ever mention the darker side of things. It makes sense that they wouldn’t want to dwell on the bad stuff, but Sal wonders just how much all of them are covering up. This place definitely gives him a weird vibe that he just can’t shake no matter how hard he tries.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some ending questions!! Who did Todd and Neil encounter? What about Sal and Larry, who was the mysterious person talking to them? And whose initials are carved into that tree? So many questions and so much time to ponder them since I don't know what a consistent update schedule is. Love you all!!

**Author's Note:**

> Sometimes I have questions about each chapter. So for this one:
> 
> Who do you think the person in the final scene was?? 
> 
> Feel free to guess in the comments down below!!


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